Biology Punnet Square Vocab

P generation

the first generation of organisms used in a genetic cross

F1 generation

the first generation of offspring produced by two parents

F2 generation

second generation of offspring produced by breeding members of the F1 generation

Filial

relating to the relationship between a child and their parent

Dominant

having the most power or control

Recessive

something that tends to be masked by a dominant trait

Phenotype

the observable traits of an organism, such as its appearance, behavior, or metabolism

Genotype

the genetic makeup of an organism, or the combination of alleles an organism inherits from its parents

Heterozygous

having two different versions of a gene, one inherited from each parent

Homozygous

having two identical copies of the same gene, one inherited from each parent

Allele

a different version of a gene

X-linked

a genetic trait or condition is carried on the X chromosome

Hybrid

an organism that is the offspring of two different species or varieties

Continuous variation

a trait that can change gradually across a range of values, like human height

Discontinuous variation

a trait within a population that only has a few distinct categories with no intermediate forms, like eye color (blue, brown, green)

Epistasis

when one gene essentially "masks" or overrides the effect of another gene

Wild type

the gene, characteristic, or phenotype that occurs most frequently in the natural population

Law of Independent Assortment

the alleles of two (or more) different genes get sorted into gametes independently of one another

Law of Segregation

when an organism produces gametes, each cell receives only one copy of each gene, meaning the two alleles for a trait separate from each other, ensuring genetic diversity in offspring