Genetics and Cell Division Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering basic genetics, alleles, inheritance, and cell division processes like mitosis and meiosis.

Chromosome

A long structure of DNA that carries many genes.

Gene

A section of DNA that codes for a characteristic.

Trait

A characteristic or feature of an organism that can be inherited from its parents.

Allele

A different version of a gene.

Dominant

An allele expressed when at least one copy is present.

Recessive

An allele expressed only when two copies are present.

Genotype

The allele combination an organism has.

Phenotype

The observable characteristic of an organism.

Homozygous

Having two identical alleles for a gene. eg. $BB$ or $bb$

Heterozygous

Having two different alleles for a gene. eg. $Bb$

Inheritance

The passing of genetic information (traits) from parents to offspring through genes.

Mitosis

A type of cell division that produces two genetically identical daughter cells for growth, repair and replacement.

Meiosis

A type of cell division that produces four genetically different gametes (sex cells), each with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell.

Crossing over

A process during meiosis where homologous chromosomes exchange sections of DNA, creating new combinations of alleles and increasing genetic variation.

Carrier

Someone who has a recessive allele and can pass it on to their offspring, but does not show the recessive trait.

Punnett Square

A diagram used to predict the possible genotypes and phenotypes of offspring based on the alleles contributed by each parent.