Checklist for 207 Final Exam

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to genetics as discussed in the lecture notes, helping students prepare for their final exam.

genotype

Simple Definition: The invisible DNA code or "blueprints" inside an organism. Example: Having the specific hidden genes in your DNA that could give you blue eyes.

phenotype

Simple Definition: The physical traits you can actually see on the outside. Example: Actually having blue eyes that people can see.

genomics

Simple Definition: The study of an organism's entire book of DNA instructions. Example: Scientists mapping out every single part of a human's DNA to see how it works.

transcriptomics

Simple Definition: The study of how DNA instructions are turned into "messages" (RNA). Example: Checking which genes are sending out messages when a plant is thirsty.

reaction norm

Simple Definition: How one set of genes shows up differently depending on the environment. Example: A plant with the same genes growing tall in the sun but staying short in the shade.

mutant

Simple Definition: Living thing with a change in its DNA that makes it look or act weird. Example: A cat born with six toes instead of five.

dominant

Simple Definition: The "bossy" version of a gene that shows up even if there is only one copy. Example: If you have one brown-eye gene and one blue-eye gene, your eyes will be brown because it is the bossy one.

incomplete dominant

Simple Definition: When two versions of a gene blend together like mixing paint. Example: A red flower and a white flower having a baby that is pink.

co-dominant

Simple Definition: When two versions of a gene both show up at the same time without blending. Example: A cow that has both black spots and white spots at the same time.

recessive

Simple Definition: The "shy" version of a gene that only shows up if there is no bossy (dominant) gene around. Example: Blue eyes, which only happen if you get the shy gene from both parents.

complementation

Simple Definition: When two parents with different broken genes have a child that looks totally normal. Example: Two deaf parents having a child who can hear because their deafness was caused by different missing parts.

morph

Simple Definition: A specific version or look of an animal. Example: A squirrel that is black instead of the usual grey.

allele

Simple Definition: A specific version of a gene. Example: One allele tells your body to make "brown eyes," and another tells it to make "blue eyes."

genome

Simple Definition: The complete set of DNA instructions for a living thing. Example: The entire "instruction manual" stored inside a single human cell.

chromosome

Simple Definition: A tightly packed bundle of DNA. Example: Like a rolled-up scroll that holds many chapters of your body's instructions.

centromere

Simple Definition: The "belt" that holds two pieces of a chromosome together. Example: The middle point of an 'X' shape where the two lines cross.

DNA

Simple Definition: The tiny molecule that holds the master code for life. Example: The "software" that tells your body how to build its organs and hair.

nucleotides

Simple Definition: The tiny building blocks that make up DNA. Example: Like the individual LEGO bricks used to build a big model.

amino acids

Simple Definition: The building blocks used to make proteins. Example: The ingredients like flour and eggs used to bake the "cake" (which is the protein).

trait

Simple Definition: A specific feature you have. Example: Having freckles or being left-handed.

character

Simple Definition: A general category for a trait. Example: "Eye color" is the category, while "blue" is the specific trait.

haploid

Simple Definition: A cell that only has one set of instructions. Example: A sperm or an egg cell.

diploid

Simple Definition: A cell with two sets of instructions (one from each parent). Example: Your skin cells or blood cells.

SNP

Simple Definition: A tiny, one-letter change in the DNA code. Example: Changing one letter in a sentence, like changing "The cat sat" to "The hat sat."

nondisjunction

Simple Definition: When chromosomes don't split up properly when a cell divides. Example: A baby being born with an extra chromosome because the cells didn't share correctly.

aneuploidy

Simple Definition: Having the wrong number of chromosomes. Example: Having 47 chromosomes instead of the normal 46.

monosomy

Simple Definition: Missing one chromosome from a pair. Example: Having only one X chromosome instead of the usual two.

heteroallelic

Simple Definition: Having two different versions of a gene at the same spot. Example: Having one "curly hair" gene and one "straight hair" gene.

haploinsufficiency

Simple Definition: When having only half the normal amount of a gene isn't enough to do the job. Example: Trying to bake a cake with only half the sugar required; it just won't work right.

hemizygous

Simple Definition: Only having one copy of a gene because there is no partner for it. Example: Men have only one X chromosome, so they only have one copy of those genes.

homozygous

Simple Definition: Having two of the exact same versions of a gene. Example: Getting a "blue eyes" gene from both your mom and your dad.

heterozygous

Simple Definition: Having two different versions of a gene. Example: Getting a "brown eyes" gene from mom and a "blue eyes" gene from dad.

monohybrid

Simple Definition: A mating experiment looking at only one specific feature. Example: Breeding two pea plants just to see if the babies will be tall or short.

dihybrid

Simple Definition: A mating experiment looking at two features at the same time. Example: Breeding pea plants to see both the fluffiness of the pod and the color of the pea.

reciprocal cross

Simple Definition: Doing a mating test twice but swapping which parent has which trait. Example: Mating a tall dad/short mom, then mating a short dad/tall mom.

crossing over

Simple Definition: When chromosomes swap bits of DNA like trading cards. Example: Bits of your mom's DNA and dad's DNA mixing up so you are unique.

recombination

Simple Definition: The process of shuffling genes to make a new combination. Example: A child having their mother's smile but their father's nose.

parthenogenesis

Simple Definition: When a female animal has a baby without needing a male. Example: A female lizard laying an egg that hatches into a baby lizard without a father.

penetrance

Simple Definition: How many people with a gene actually show the trait. Example: Out of 100 people with a "baldness" gene, only 70 actually go bald.

expressivity

Simple Definition: How strongly a trait shows up in a person. Example: Two people have an "extra finger" gene; one has a tiny bump, but the other has a full extra finger.

reverse genetics

Simple Definition: Breaking a gene on purpose to see what it used to do. Example: Scientists turning off a "hunger" gene in a mouse to see if the mouse stops eating.

primer

Simple Definition: A small starting piece used to begin copying DNA. Example: Like the first couple of bricks you lay down so you know where to build the rest of a wall.

lagging strand

Simple Definition: The side of DNA that is built in slow, separate chunks. Example: Like painting a line on a road but having to keep stopping and starting your truck.

leading strand

Simple Definition: The side of DNA that is built in one smooth, long line. Example: Like painting a long, straight line on a road without ever stopping.

homogametic

Simple Definition: Having two of the same sex chromosomes. Example: Human females, because they are XX.

heterogametic

Simple Definition: Having two different sex chromosomes. Example: Human males, because they are XY.

Mitosis

Simple Definition: A cell making an exact twin of itself. Example: Your skin cells making more skin cells to heal a scratch.

Meiosis

Simple Definition: A cell dividing to make sperm or eggs with half the DNA. Example: A cell splitting into four unique sperm cells.

complementation groups

Simple Definition: Groups of DNA mistakes that are all in the same gene. Example: Different ways a lightbulb can break that all keep the light from turning on.

classic experiments

Simple Definition: Famous old science tests that taught us the basics. Example: Gregor Mendel growing thousands of pea plants to see how they inherited traits.

DNA replication

Simple Definition: The process of making a photocopy of your DNA. Example: Your body copying all its instructions before it makes a new cell.

cell cycle phases

Simple Definition: The steps a cell takes to grow and split. Example: Like a person growing up, saving money, and finally moving out to live on their own.

types of mutations

Simple Definition: Different mistakes that can happen in DNA. Example: Deleting a letter in a word, adding an extra letter, or swapping one for another.

punnett squares

Simple Definition: A grid used to guess what the babies will look like. Example: A 4-box square showing that two tall parents could have a short baby.

DNA repair

Simple Definition: The way a cell fixes typos in its DNA code. Example: Using an eraser to fix a mistake you made while writing in a notebook.

dosage compensation

Simple Definition: Making sure males and females have the same amount of gene power. Example: Females turning off one of their two X chromosomes so they don't have "too much" info.

pedigree analysis

Simple Definition: A family tree that tracks a specific trait. Example: Looking at a family tree to see which ancestors had a specific disease.

mitochondrial inheritance

Simple Definition: Traits that you only get from your mother. Example: A specific health condition that every child gets because their mother has it.

lac operon

Simple Definition: A switch in bacteria that turns on genes only when food (sugar) is available. Example: A porch light that only turns on when a sensor feels someone walking by.

gene linkage

Simple Definition: When two genes are so close together they are almost always inherited as a pair. Example: Red hair and freckles often appearing together because their genes are neighbors.

three-point test cross

Simple Definition: A way to figure out the order of three genes on a chromosome. Example: Mapping out three houses on a street to see which one is in the middle of the other two.