AP Biology: Unit 4 - Chapter 14

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from Mendelian genetics based on lecture notes.

Mendelian Genetics

The study of how traits are inherited through the laws formulated by Gregor Mendel.

Allele

An alternative form of a gene that provides different traits for a character.

True Breeders

Parents that, when mated, always produce offspring with the same genetic traits.

Monohybrid

An organism that is heterozygous for one gene of interest.

Dihybrid

An organism that is heterozygous for two genes of interest.

Law of Segregation

The principle stating that each allele in a pair separates into a different gamete during meiosis.

Testcross

A breeding experiment between an organism with an unknown genotype and a homozygous recessive organism.

Independent Assortment

The principle that the alleles of different genes are inherited independently of one another.

Phenotype

The observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, as determined by both genetic makeup and environmental influences.

Genotype

The genetic constitution of an individual organism.

Incomplete Dominance

A type of genetic inheritance where the heterozygous phenotype is an intermediate phenotype between the two homozygous phenotypes.

Codominance

A form of dominance in which both alleles contribute equally to the phenotype.

Pleiotropy

A situation where one gene affects multiple traits.

Epistasis

A phenomenon where one gene can interfere with the expression of another gene.

Polygenic Inheritance

An additive effect of two or more genes on a single phenotype.

Multifactorial Traits

Traits influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.