Intro to Genetics

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and concepts from the 'Intro to Genetics' lecture, focusing on Mendelian genetics, inheritance patterns, and genetic terminology.

Gregor Mendel

The father of genetics, an Austrian monk who studied inheritance using pea plants.

True-breeding plants

Plants that, when self-fertilized, produce offspring identical to themselves.

Gametes

Reproductive cells containing half the number of chromosomes.

Traits

Observable physical features of an organism.

Characters

Categories of traits that an organism can exhibit.

Dominant trait

The trait that appears in the F1 generation and masks the recessive trait.

Recessive trait

The trait that disappears in the F1 generation but reappears in the F2 generation.

F1 generation

The first filial generation resulting from a cross of two parental (P) individuals.

F2 generation

The second filial generation resulting from interbreeding of F1 individuals.

Monohybrid cross

A genetic cross involving one character or trait.

Phenotype

The outward expression of a trait.

Genotype

The genetic makeup of an organism.

Alleles

Different versions of a gene.

Homozygous

An individual with two identical alleles for a trait.

Heterozygous

An individual with two different alleles for a trait.

Law of Segregation

The principle stating that alleles for a trait separate during gamete formation.

Punnett square

A diagram used to predict genetic outcomes of a cross.

Autosomal dominant

A trait that requires only one copy of the dominant allele to be expressed.

Autosomal recessive

A trait that requires two copies of the recessive allele to be expressed.

Pedigree

A family tree that traces the inheritance of traits across generations.

Achondroplasia

An autosomal dominant disorder causing dwarfism.

Polydactyly

An autosomal dominant trait characterized by extra fingers or toes.

Huntington’s disease

A fatal neurodegenerative disorder inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern.

Tay Sachs disease

An autosomal recessive disorder that affects the brain and leads to early death.

Cystic fibrosis

An autosomal recessive disorder characterized by abnormal mucus production.

Sickle cell anemia

An autosomal recessive disorder affecting hemoglobin and oxygen transport.

Mutation

A heritable change in the DNA sequence.

Natural selection

The process where organisms with favorable traits tend to survive and reproduce.

Chromosomes

Structures in the nucleus of cells that contain genetic information.

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that carries genetic information.

Gamete formation

The process by which gametes are produced through meiosis.

Meiosis

A type of cell division that produces gametes with half the number of chromosomes.

Dominant allele

An allele that masks the effect of a recessive allele.

Recessive allele

An allele that is masked by a dominant allele.

Inheritance patterns

The way traits are passed from parents to offspring.

Environmental influence

Factors outside the organism that can affect traits, like nutrition or climate.

Genetic diversity

The total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species.

Heterozygote advantage

The phenomenon whereby heterozygous individuals have a survival advantage.

Autosomal

Referring to non-sex chromosomes.

Filial

Referring to offspring.

Dihybrid cross

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

Phenotypic ratio

The ratio of different phenotypes in the offspring.

Genotypic ratio

The ratio of different genotypes in the offspring.

Fertilization

The process where male and female gametes combine to form a zygote.

Cross-pollination

The transfer of pollen from one flower to another.

True breeding

Organisms that produce offspring of the same variety when they self-pollinate.

Sex-linked trait

A trait associated with a gene that is carried only by the male or female parent.

Quantitative traits

Traits that are determined by multiple genes and are measured by degree.

Epistasis

A form of gene interaction where one gene masks the phenotypic effects of another gene.

Polygenic inheritance

The phenomenon where multiple genes influence a trait.

Genetic drift

A change in allele frequencies due to chance events.