Genetics: Mendel's Laws

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What does homozygous mean?

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An organism is homozygous when it has two identical alleles for a particular trait (e.g., gg or GG).

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What does heterozygous mean?

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An organism is heterozygous when it has two different alleles for a particular trait (e.g., Gg).

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What is a dominant trait?

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A dominant trait is one that is expressed in the phenotype even when only one copy of the allele is present (e.g., Brown eyes).

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What is a recessive trait?

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A recessive trait is one that is only expressed in the phenotype when two copies of the allele are present (e.g., blue eyes).

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What is a Punnett square?

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A Punnett square is a diagram used to predict the outcome of a genetic cross by showing the possible combinations of alleles from the parents.

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What is heredity?

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Heredity is the passing of traits from parents to offspring.

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What is an allele?

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An allele is a variant form of a gene that can produce different traits.

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What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?

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Genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an organism, while phenotype refers to the observable traits.

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What is the law of segregation?

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The law of segregation states that during the formation of gametes, the two alleles for a trait separate from each other.

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What is the law of independent assortment?

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The law of independent assortment states that alleles for different traits are distributed to gametes independently of one another.