Meiosis and Mendelian Inheritance

Heredity

Transmission of traits from one generation to the next.

Locus

Specific location of a gene on a chromosome.

Alleles

Variations of DNA sequence at a locus.

Diploid Cell

A cell created by the fusion of egg and sperm (a zygote).

Haploid Cell

A cell that contains a single set of chromosomes.

Meiosis

Process that splits diploid cells into haploid gametes.

Crossing Over

The process in which genetic material is exchanged between homologous chromosomes, contributing to genetic variation.

Chiasma

Positions where two chromosomes exchanged DNA during crossing over.

Bivalent

The structure formed during prophase I of meiosis when two homologous chromosomes pair up.

Synaptonemal Complex

A protein-based structure that aligns homologous chromosomes during meiosis.

Law of Segregation

The principle that alleles for a particular gene are separated during gamete formation.

Monohybrid Cross

A genetic cross studying the inheritance of a single trait.

True-breeding

Organisms that can fertilize themselves and produce offspring identical to themselves.

Hybridization

Offspring of genetically different parents.

Pedigree Analysis

A diagram that studies the inheritance of certain traits.

Recombination

The process that results in a recombinant chromosome through genetic material exchange.

Mechanisms of Genetic Variation

Processes including crossing over, independent assortment, and random fertilization.

Mitosis

The process that splits a cell into two identical cells.

Tetrads

The term for the four chromatids present during prophase I of meiosis.