Mendelian Genetics

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to Mendelian Genetics, suitable for exam preparation.

Gregor Mendel

The father of genetics, known for studying the inheritance of traits in pea plants.

Law of Segregation

The principle that alleles for a trait separate during gamete formation, resulting in each gamete carrying only one allele for each trait.

Law of Independent Assortment

The principle that states that genes for different traits are inherited independently of one another.

Dominant allele

An allele that expresses its phenotype even in the presence of a recessive allele.

Recessive allele

An allele that only expresses its phenotype when two copies are present, and is masked by a dominant allele.

Homozygous

An organism with two identical alleles for a particular trait.

Heterozygous

An organism with two different alleles for a particular trait.

Punnett Square

A diagram used to predict the genotype and phenotype outcomes of a genetic cross.

Genotype

The genetic makeup of an organism, consisting of alleles inherited from parents.

Phenotype

The physical appearance or observable traits of an organism.

Testcross

A breeding experiment used to determine the genotype of an individual showing a dominant phenotype.

Dihybrid cross

A genetic cross that examines the inheritance of two different traits.

Polygenic inheritance

A type of inheritance where multiple genes determine a single trait, leading to a range of phenotypes.

Pleiotropy

A phenomenon where a single gene influences multiple phenotypic traits.

Sex-linked traits

Traits determined by genes located on the sex chromosomes, often affecting one sex more than the other.

Chromosomal Mutation

A change in the structure or number of chromosomes that can lead to genetic disorders.

Karyotype

A visual representation of an individual's chromosomes used to identify genetic abnormalities.

Nondisjunction

An error during cell division that results in cells having an abnormal number of chromosomes.

Codominance

A genetic scenario where both alleles are fully expressed in the phenotype of a heterozygote.

Incomplete dominance

A genetic situation where a heterozygote expresses a phenotype that is intermediate between the two homozygous phenotypes.