Mendelian Genetics Vocab

The likelihood of a particular genetic outcome

• Probability: The chance that a specific event will occur, often expressed as a fraction or percentage.

• Possibility: The state or fact of being likely or probable.

• Certainty: The quality of being sure or confident about something.

• Likelihood: The state of being likely to happen.

The genetic makeup of an organism for a specific trait

• Phenotype: The observable characteristics of an organism.

• Genotype: The combination of alleles for a given gene.

• Allele: A variant form of a gene.

• Chromosome: A structure that contains DNA.

A trait that can be hidden by another trait

• Dominant trait: A trait that is expressed when at least one dominant allele is present.

• Recessive trait: A trait that is not expressed when a dominant allele is present.

• Codominant trait: A trait where both alleles are fully expressed in the phenotype.

• Incomplete dominant trait: A trait that results in a blending of the two alleles.

The study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics

• Genetics: The branch of biology that deals with heredity and variation in organisms.

• Evolution: The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms.

• Ecology: The branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.

• Anatomy: The branch of biology concerned with the structure of organisms and their parts.

The physical expression of a trait

• Genotype: The genetic constitution of an organism.

• Phenotype: The observable characteristics or traits of an organism.

• Allele: A variant form of a gene.

• Chromosome: A structure that contains DNA and genetic information.

The passing of traits from one generation to the next

• Heredity: The process through which genetic traits are transmitted from parents to offspring.

• Evolution: The change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.

• Mutation: A change in the DNA sequence that can lead to new traits.

• Natural Selection: The process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

The observable characteristics of an organism resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment

• Genotype: The genetic makeup of an organism.

• Phenotype: The expression of the genotype in a specific environment.

• Allele: A variant form of a gene.

• Chromosome: A structure that carries genetic information.

The genetic makeup of an organism

• Phenotype: The observable characteristics of an individual.

• Genotype: The genetic constitution of an individual, representing the alleles inherited from parents.

• Allele: A variant form of a gene.

• Chromosome: A structure that carries genetic information.

A section of DNA that determines a specific trait

• Chromosome: A structure that contains DNA and carries genetic information.

• Gene: A unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and determines a characteristic.

• Allele: A variant form of a gene that can produce different traits.

• Genome: The complete set of genes or genetic material present in a cell or organism.

Having two recessive alleles for a trait

• Homozygous recessive: An organism that has two identical recessive alleles for a specific trait.

• Heterozygous dominant: An organism with one dominant and one recessive allele.

• Homozygous dominant: An organism with two identical dominant alleles for a specific trait.

• Heterozygous recessive: An organism with one dominant and one recessive allele.