DEFINITIONS IN GENETICS

Genetics: Genetics is the study of transmission of body features from parents to offspring and
the laws relating to such transmission.
Heredity: the transmission of genetically based characteristics from parents to offspring.
Variation: The small differences among individuals due to inheritance are called variations.
Character: Any heritable feature is a character.
Trait: The alternative forms of a character are called traits.
Karyotype: The chromosomes of a species artificially arranged in pairs in order of their size and shape.

Homologous Chromosomes: A pair of corresponding chromosomes of the same shape and size,
one from each parent.

Autosomes: Chromosomes which do not determine the sex of the individual.
Sex Chromosomes: Chromosomes that determine the sex of the individual.
Gene: Genes are specific sequences of nucleotides on a chromosome, which encode particular
proteins which express in the form of some particular feature of the body.
Genome: The full complement of DNA, including all genes and the inter-genic regions, of an
organism.
Allele: Alternative forms of a gene, occupying the same position on homologous chromosomes
and affecting the same characteristics but in different ways.
Dominant Allele: The super-ruling allele of a gene.
Recessive Allele: The suppressed allele of a gene.
Genotype: The set of, or combination of genes present in the cells of an organism.
Phenotype: The observable characteristics which are genetically controlled.
Sex-linked Inheritance: The appearance of a trait which is due to the presence of an allele
exclusively on either the X-chromosome or the Y-chromosome.
Criss-cross Inheritance: The inheritance of X-linked genes as in colour blindness and
haemophilia is called criss-cross inheritance.
Law of Dominance: Out of a pair of contrasting characters present together, only one is able to
express itself while the other remains suppressed.
Law of Segregation or Law of Purity of Genes: The two members of a pair of factors separate
during the formation of gametes.
Law of Independent Assortment: When there are two pairs of contrasting characters, the
distribution of the members of one pair into the gametes is independent of the distribution of the
other pair.
Mutation: The sudden change in one or more genes, or in the number or in the structure of
chromosomes.
Monohybrid Cross: A cross between two pure breeding parents taking into consideration the
contrasting traits of a single character.
Dihybrid Cross: A cross between two parents taking into consideration the contrasting traits of
two different characters.
Homozygous: A condition in which a pair of chromosomes carries similar alleles of a particular
character or the condition when a diploid organism has similar allelic forms of a gene.
Heterozygous: A condition in which a pair of chromosomes carries dissimilar alleles for a
particular character or the condition when a diploid organism has different allelic forms of a
gene.
Filial Generation: A cross between offsprings.
F
1
Generation: It refers to the first filial generation, produced by crossing two pure breeding
parental forms.
F
2
Generation: It refers to the second filial generation, produced by self crossing of F
1
offsprings.
Factor: Gene
Monohybrid Ratio: The ratio obtained in the progeny in the F
2
Generation of a Monohybrid
Cross
Dihybrid Ratio: The ratio obtained in the progeny in the F
2
Generation of a Dihybrid Cross.
Pure Breed: A variety of species that gives rise to the same form of traits for a number of
successive generations.
Punnett Square: A checked board devised by scientist Punnett, which helps to study all the
possible results of various crosses.
Hybrid: An off spring resulting from a cross between two genotypically different parents.