Lecture 1: Genetics According to Mendel

Based off lecture notes and text book readings Ch 1.1-1.2

discrete traits

traits that fall into distinct catagories

continuous traits

traits that exist along a spectrum

Mendel’s Law of Segregation

states that (1) the two alleles for each gene segregate/separate from each other during haploid gamete formation (meiosis); and that (2) these gametes unite randomly, one from each parent, during fertilization

dihybrid cross

a cross between two individuals with two observed traits that are controlled by two distinct genes (9:3:3:1 ratio)

Mendel’s Law of Independent Assortment

law stating that different allelic pairs separate independently of each other (however, this is not always true)

artificial selection

a type of selection involving the purposeful control of mating by choosing parents for the next generation

self-fertilization

fertilization in which both the egg and sperm come from the same plant or animal

reciprocal crosses

crosses performed in two directions, with the characters of traits in the males and females reversed relative to the other, thereby controlling whether a particular character is transmitted by the male or female gamete