Chapter 1: Introduction, Mendelian and Particulate Inheritance

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on Mendelian and particulate inheritance, including genetic terms, Mendel's laws, and experimental methods like Punnett squares and test crosses.

Character

An observable physical feature, such as flower color or seed shape.

Trait

A specific form of a character, such as white or purple flower color.

Monohybrid Cross

A cross between two different individuals that differ in only one specific trait.

Parental Generation (P Generation)

The first generation of individuals crossed in a breeding experiment.

F1 Generation

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

F2 Generation

The offspring resulting from the self-pollination or interbreeding of individuals from the F1 generation.

Self-pollination

The process where pollen from one part of a plant is used to fertilize the ovules on the same plant.

Genes

Discrete parts that determine characters, coding for specific proteins with important functions.

Alleles

Different versions of a gene.

Law of Dominance

States that some alleles mask the effects of other alleles in a heterozygous individual.

Dominant Allele

An allele whose effect masks that of another allele in a heterozygous individual, typically represented by an uppercase letter.

Recessive Allele

An allele whose effect is masked by a dominant allele in a heterozygous individual, typically represented by a lowercase letter.

Genotype

The exact combination of alleles an organism has for a particular trait (e.g., AA, Aa, aa).

Phenotype

The expressed or observable trait of an organism, as determined by its genotype.

Punnett Square

A diagram used to visualize all possible combinations of alleles from parents and predict the genotypes of their offspring.

Homozygous Genotype

A genotype where the two alleles at a specific locus are the same (e.g., AA or aa).

Heterozygous Genotype

A genotype where the two alleles at a specific locus are different (e.g., Aa).

Test Cross

A breeding experiment where an individual with an unknown genotype (but dominant phenotype) is crossed with a homozygous recessive individual to determine the unknown genotype.

True Breeding

Referring to individuals that are homozygous for a specific trait and will consistently produce offspring with the same trait.

Dihybrid Cross

A cross between individuals that differ in two different traits.

9:3:3:1 Ratio

The expected phenotypic ratio for the offspring of a standard dihybrid cross between two fully heterozygous parents, assuming independent assortment of genes.

Sex Linkage

A phenomenon where certain traits are more common in one sex than another due to their genes being located on sex chromosomes.