Genetics

Chapter 1 & 2

genetics

The study of heredity; how inherited variation is encoded, replicated, and expressed; and how it evolves over time.

genome

Complete set of genetic instructions for any organism.

transmission genetics

Field of genetics that encompasses the basic principles of heredity and how traits are passed from one generation to the next.

molecular genetics

Study of the chemical nature of genetic information and how it is encoded, replicated, and expressed.

population genetics

Study of the genetic composition of populations and how that composition changes geographically and with the passage of time.

model genetic organism

An organism that is widely used in genetic research because it has characteristics, such as short generation time and large numbers of progeny, that make it particularly useful for genetic analysis.

pangenesis

Early concept of heredity proposing that particles carry genetic information from different parts of the body to the reproductive organs.

inheritance of acquired characteristics

Early notion of inheritance proposing that acquired traits are passed on to offspring.

preformationism

Early concept of inheritance proposing that a miniature adult (homunculus) resides in either the egg or the sperm and increases in size in development, and that all traits are inherited from the parent that contributes the homunculus.

blending inheritance

Early concept of heredity proposing that the traits of offspring are a blend, or mixture, of parental traits.

cell theory

Theory stating that all life is composed of cells, that cells arise only from preexisting cells, and that the cell is the fundamental unit of structure and function in living organisms.

germ-plasm theory

Theory stating that cells in the reproductive organs carry a complete set of genetic information.