Mendel's Laws of Inheritance

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to Mendel's Laws of Inheritance.

Gregor Johann Mendel

Known as the Father of Genetics; studied inheritance in pea plants.

Law of Dominance

States that if an organism inherits different alleles for the same trait, one allele may be dominant over the other.

Dominant Allele

The controlling allele that is expressed in the phenotype, usually designated with a capital letter.

Recessive Allele

The hidden allele overshadowed by a dominant allele, usually designated with a lowercase letter.

Genotype

The genetic makeup of an organism, represented by letters that indicate the alleles present.

Phenotype

The physical appearance or observable traits of an organism.

Punnett Square

A graphic organizer used to predict the probable results of a genetic cross.

Law of Segregation

States that for each gene, an organism inherits one allele from each parent, and alleles separate during gamete formation.

Monohybrid Cross

A genetic cross between parents differing in only one trait.

Dihybrid Cross

A genetic cross between parents differing in two traits.

Incomplete Dominance

A form of inheritance where one allele does not completely dominate the other, resulting in a new phenotype.

Codominance

A form of inheritance in which both alleles are expressed equally in the phenotype of the heterozygote.

Multiple Alleles

A gene that is controlled by more than two alleles.

True Breeding

When a plant self-pollinates, all their offspring are of the same variety.

Hybridization

The mating or crossing of two different varieties.

F1 Generation

The hybrid offspring resulting from the cross of the parental generation (P generation).

F2 Generation

Offspring from the self-fertilization of F1 hybrids.

Phenotypic Ratio

The ratio of different phenotypes in the offspring, such as 3:1 in a monohybrid cross.

Genotypic Ratio

The ratio of different genotypes in the offspring.