Mendelian Experiments and Heredity

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts from Mendelian experiments and heredity, including genetic inheritance patterns and principles.

X-linked traits

Genetic traits that are determined by genes carried on the X chromosome.

Hemizygous

A condition in which an individual has only one copy of a gene in a diploid organism, often referring to males regarding their X-linked alleles.

Lethal alleles

Alleles that can cause an organism to die when present in a homozygous state.

Epistasis

A genetic interaction in which one gene masks or interferes with the expression of another gene.

Law of Independent Assortment

Mendel's principle stating that the segregation of alleles for one gene does not affect the segregation of alleles for another gene during gamete formation.

Dihybrid cross

A breeding experiment that tracks the inheritance of two traits.

Natural selection

The process by which organisms with advantageous traits survive and reproduce more successfully than those without such traits.

Adaptive traits

Heritable traits that enhance the survival and reproductive success of an organism in its environment.

Monophyletic group (clade)

A group of organisms that includes a common ancestor and all its descendants.

Polyphyletic group

A group consisting of members descended from multiple ancestral sources.

Binomial nomenclature

The formal system of naming species, consisting of the genus name and the species epithet.

Homologous traits

Traits that are similar between species due to shared ancestry.

Analogous traits

Traits that are similar between species but evolved independently due to similar environmental pressures.

Multiple alleles

More than two alleles exist for a particular gene within a population.

Phenotypic ratio

The ratio of different phenotypes that might be expected to occur in the offspring of a genetic cross.

Incomplete dominance

A form of inheritance where the phenotype of a heterozygote is intermediate between the phenotypes of the two homozygotes.