Biology Chapter 11 Introduction to Genetics Vocab
genetics
the scientific study of heredity, key to understanding what makes each organism unique
fertilization
process in sexual reproduction in which male and female reproductive cells join to form a new cell.
trait
specific characteristic that varies from one individual to another
hybrids
the offspring of crosses between parents with different traits
genes
factors that are passed from parent to offspring
alleles
different forms of a gene
principle of dominance
Mendel’s second conclusion, which states that some alleles are dominant and others are recessive
segregation
separation
probability
the likelihood that a particular event will occur
homozygous
An organism that has two identical alleles for the particular gene
heterozygous
An organism that has two different alleles for the same gene
phenotype
physical traits
genotype
genetic makeup
independent assortment
One of Mendel’s principles that states that genes for different traits can segregate independently during the formation of gametes
incomplete dominance
situation in which one allele is not completely dominant over another allele
codominance
situation in which the phenotypes produced by both alleles are completely expressed
multiple allele
A gene that has more than two alleles
polygenic traits
traits controlled by two or more genes
homologous
each of the 4 chromosomes that came from the male parent has a corresponding chromosome from the female parent
diploid
a cell that contains both sets of homologous chromosomes
haploid
a cell that contains only a single set of chromosomes and therefore only a single set of genes.
meiosis
process by which the number of chromosomes per cell is cut in half through the separation of homologous chromosomes in a diploid cell
tetrad
structure formed by pairing of replicated chromosomes with its corresponding homologous chromosome, contains four chromatids
crossing-over
the exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes during meiosis
zygote
a fertilized egg