Mendelian Genetics

Flashcards covering key concepts and terms in Mendelian genetics based on lecture notes.

Common Ancestry

All living systems share a genetic code; DNA and RNA carry genetic information.

Gregor Mendel

An Austrian monk who studied inheritance and established the foundational laws of genetics.

True breeding

Organisms that consistently produce offspring of the same variety through self-pollination.

P generation

The true-breeding parental generation in Mendelian genetics.

F1 generation

The first filial generation, consisting of hybrid offspring from the P generation.

F2 generation

The second filial generation, offspring of the F1 generation.

Punnett squares

Diagrams used to predict allele combinations of offspring from known genetic compositions.

Homozygous

An organism with a pair of identical alleles for a character.

Heterozygous

An organism possessing two different alleles for a gene.

Genotype

The genetic makeup (alleles) of an organism.

Phenotype

An organism's observable traits, determined by its genotype.

Law of segregation

Two alleles for a trait separate during gamete formation, ending up in different gametes.

Law of independent assortment

Genes for different traits are inherited independently of each other.

Monohybrid cross

A genetic cross involving one trait.

Dihybrid cross

A genetic cross involving two traits.

Test cross

A method to determine the genotype of an individual exhibiting a dominant phenotype by crossing it with a homozygous recessive individual.

Probability in genetics

The likelihood of specific traits being inherited based on genetic crosses.

Pedigree

A family tree that illustrates the inheritance patterns of specific traits across generations.

X-linked traits

Traits associated with genes located on the X chromosome, often showing different patterns of inheritance in males and females.

Phenotypic ratio

The ratio of different observable traits in the offspring for a specific genetic cross.