Heredity and Genetics Notes

Instructions

​1. You will completely fill in your notes - answer the questions as you go.
2. Then completely color your notes
3. Glue your notes into your journal

***Hint the answer to ALL the questions are in your notes!***

Guided Notes

Genetics is the study of ______________.

Heredity is the passing of _____________

(or characteristics) from ______________

to ________________. For example,

a tiger’s stripes may be wide or narrow.

The width of a tiger’s stripes is a trait

________________ from their parents.

heredity

traits

parents

offspring

inherited

Multiple Choice

Genetics is the study of

• the structure of atoms
• the formation of rocks
• the behavior of animals
• heredity

Multiple Choice

Where do your traits come from?

• Inherited from your parents
• Random chance
• Education and upbringing
• environmental factors

Multiple Choice

What does offspring mean?

• Pets
• Siblings
• Biological descendants or children
• Adults

Inside each nucleus of a cell are thread-like structures

known as __________________. Chromosomes come

in ____________. Individuals usually have _________

copies of each chromosome, one from each parent.

pairs

two

chromosomes

Multiple Choice

Where are the chromosomes located??

• cytoplasm
• nucleus
• cell membrane
• mitochondria

Multiple Choice

How many copies of each chromosome do humans have?

• 1
• 4
• 2
• 3

Multiple Choice

How many chromosomes do you get from each parent?

• 12
• 2

• 1

• 4

_________, also known as the

molecule of life, is found within

chromosomes. A __________ is a

short segment of DNA. Genes

contain instructions that

make ____________, which

determine ___________.

DNA

gene

proteins

traits

Multiple Choice

What is DNA as known as? (Hint: nickname)

• Protein structure
• Double helix
• The molecule of life

• Genetic code

Multiple Choice

What is a gene?

• A gene is a segment of DNA that contains the instructions for building and maintaining an organism.
• A gene is a small molecule that carries genetic information.
• A gene is a type of protein found in cells.
• A gene is a structure in the nucleus of a cell that stores energy.

Genes found within a tiger’s ______ produce ____________

that determine the width of a tiger’s ____________.

DNA

proteins

stripes

Match

Match the following:

• Cell

• Nucleus

• Chromosome

• DNA

• Gene

The basic unit of life

Control Center of the cell

Organized strands of DNA

Genetic material of an organism

Section of DNA that has traits

• The basic unit of life

• Control Center of the cell

• Organized strands of DNA

• Genetic material of an organism

• Section of DNA that has traits

Multiple Choice

What is a trait?

• A trait is a learned behavior that is acquired through experience.
• A trait is a temporary characteristic that can change over time.
• A trait is a physical feature that is unique to an individual.
• A trait is a characteristic or attribute of an individual that is genetically determined and can be passed down to future generations.

Open Ended

What is the difference between an inherited trait and an acquired trait?

Individuals inherit ________ forms of each

__________, one from each parent. The

different variations of a gene are known as

___________. Alleles are represented with

lowercase and uppercase ____________.

two

gene

alleles

letters

To show the different forms of a gene, color each set

of alleles on the chromosome a different color.

Multiple Choice

What are alleles?

• Mutations in DNA
• Different species of organisms
• Types of cells
• Alternative forms of a gene

Multiple Choice

How do you represent alleles?

• Using numbers
• Using symbols
• Using emojis
• Using the upper and lower case letters

Alleles can be _____________

or ______________.

recessive

DOMINANT

Drag and Drop

Alleles can be either ​

Placeholder

or ​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

DOMINANT

recessive

alleles

genetics

genes

yellow

blue

DNA

nucleus

● ____________ expressed when present

● Shown as ____________ letters

● Example:

Always

capital

Multiple Choice

Dominant alleles are represented by what?

• numbers
• CAPITAL letters

• lowercase letters
• special characters

● Expressed if ______ copies are present

● Shown as ____________ letters

● Example:

two

lowercase

Multiple Choice

What is a recessive trait represented by?

• punctuation mark
• number
• capital letter
• lowercase letter

Checking for Understanding

A black coat (B) is dominant to a
brown coat (b) in cats. Therefore,a
cat only needs to inherit one (B) allele
to have a black coat. A cat will need
to inherit two brown (b) alleles to
have a brown coat. What color will
each cat be? Color each cat head to
show your answer.

The genotype is the ____________ makeup

of an individual. In other words, it is the pair

of _____________ an individual inherits from

their parents.

genetic

alleles

Multiple Choice

What is a genotype?

• The behavior of an individual
• The environment in which an individual lives
• The genetic makeup of an individual
• The physical characteristics of an individual

bb

Note: Always write the dominant (capital) letters

first when writing genotypes

Multiple Choice

Which letter do you ALWAYS write first?

• Capital

• lowercase

The phenotype is the observable ___________

or characteristics determined by the

genotype. For example, ______________

is a phenotype.

traits

eye color

Multiple Choice

What is a phenotype?

• The observable physical characteristic of an organism

• The study of animal behavior
• The process of cell division
• The genetic material of an organism

EYE COLOR

Genotypes can be homozygous or heterozygous.
If the individual inherits two of the _______ allele,
it is _______________ (or purebred). If it inherits two
______________ alleles, it is _________________
(or hybrid).

same

Color the genotypes representing homozygous green and the

genotypes representing heterozygous orange.

homozygous

different

heterozygous

Multiple Choice

What is homozygous?

• Having no alleles for a particular gene.
• Having two different alleles for a particular gene.
• Having one allele for a particular gene.
• Having two identical alleles for a particular gene.

Multiple Choice

What is heterozygous?

• An individual having two different alleles for a particular gene.
• An individual having no alleles for a particular gene.
• An individual having only one allele for a particular gene.
• An individual having two identical alleles for a particular gene.

Open Ended

What is the difference between phenotype and genotype. Use a complete sentences!