Biology 1003 - Meiosis and Mendel's Theory

These flashcards cover vocabulary and concepts related to Meiosis and Mendel's Theory of Inheritance, summarizing key terms and definitions.

Meiosis

A type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half, producing four haploid cells (gametes) from one diploid cell.

Gametes

Haploid cells (sperm or egg) that fuse during fertilization to form a diploid zygote.

Homozygous

An organism that has two identical alleles for a particular gene.

Heterozygous

An organism that has two different alleles for a particular gene.

Phenotype

The observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, determined by both genetic makeup and environment.

Genotype

The genetic constitution of an individual; the specific alleles inherited from parents.

Dominant traits

Traits that are expressed even if only one copy of the allele is present.

Recessive traits

Traits that are only expressed when two copies of the allele are present.

Crossing over

The process during prophase I of meiosis where homologous chromosomes exchange segments, increasing genetic diversity.

Independent assortment

The random distribution of alleles during gamete formation in meiosis.

F1 generation

The first generation of offspring resulting from a cross between two parental lines.

F2 generation

The second generation of offspring, produced by interbreeding the F1 generation.