Intro to Genetics Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for genetics review.

Genetics

Branch of Biology that deals with the way biological characteristics are inherited.

Heredity

The passing of traits to the next generation; also known as inheritance.

Genes

Basic unit of heredity made up of a unique sequence of nucleotides containing information needed to produce specific proteins.

Gene Locus

Specific site on a chromosome where a gene is located; predictable location.

Allele

An alternative form of a gene located on a specific site of a specific chromosome.

Homozygous Alleles

An individual that carries two identical alleles for a locus.

Heterozygous Alleles

An individual that carries two different alleles for a locus.

Genotype

The combination of alleles present for a particular characteristic in an organism.

Phenotype

An organism's physical appearance, internal anatomy, physiology, and behavior; reflects its overall genotype and unique environmental history.

Trait

A characteristic produced by the actions of one or more gene-directed proteins.

Punnett Square

A simple grid device that shows the expected frequencies of genotypes from a cross.

Dominant Allele

An allele that masks the presence of another different allele (uppercase letters).

Recessive Allele

An allele whose presence is masked by a dominant allele (lowercase letters).

Monohybrid Cross

Crosses that compare only one trait.

Sex-linked genes

Genes located on one of the sex chromosomes (X or Y) but not the other.

Incomplete dominance

The phenotype of the offspring is somewhere between the phenotypes of the two parental varieties.

Codominance

Two dominant alleles affect the phenotype in separate, distinguishable ways.

Pedigree Analysis

Shows a pattern of inheritance in a family for a specific trait (phenotype).