Chapter 14 Vocabulary

Character – any trait, function, structure, or substance of an organism resulting

from the effect of one or more genes as modified by the environment.

Trait – a genetically determined characteristic or condition

True-breeding – an organism having certain biological traits which are passed on to

all subsequent generations when bred with another true breeding organism for the
same traits

Hybridization – producing offspring from parents of different stock

P generation – parent generation

F1 generation – children/offspring

F2 generation – grandchildren/offspring’s offspring

Alleles – one member of a pair or series of genes that occupy a specific position on
a specific chromosome

Dominant allele – the allele, represented by a capital letter, that shows in the
phenotype

Recessive allele – the allele, represented by a lower case letter, that is hidden in the
phenotype

Law of segregation – the principle, originated by Gregor Mendel, stating that during
the production of gametes the two copies of each hereditary factor segregate so
that offspring acquire one factor from each parent

Punnett Square – a type of grid used to show the gametes of each parent and their
possible offspring

Homozygous – having identical pairs of genes for any given pair of hereditary
characteristics

Heterozygous – having dissimilar pairs of genes for any hereditary characteristic

Phenotype – the observable constitution of an organism

Genotype – the genetic makeup of an organism or group of organisms with

reference to a single trait, set of traits, or an entire complex of traits

Testcross – a genetic test for heterozygosity in which an organism of dominant

phenotype, but unknown genotype, is crossed to an organism recessive for all
markers in question
Monohybrid – the offspring of individuals that differ with respect to a particular gene
pair

Dihybrid – the offspring of parents differing in two specific pairs of genes

Law of independent assortment - when two or more characteristics are inherited,

individual hereditary factors assort independently during gamete production, giving
different traits an equal opportunity of occurring together

Codominance - pertaining to two different alleles that are fully expressed in a

heterozygous individual

Complete dominance - kind of dominance wherein the dominant gene completely

masks the effect of the recessive gene in heterozygous condition

Quantitative characters – a character or trait that is transmitted by quantitative

inheritance

Polygenic inheritance – the heredity of complex characters that are determined by a

large number of genes, each one usually having a relatively small effect

Norm of Reaction – the pattern of phenotypic expression of a single genotype across

a range of environments

Multifactorial – having or stemming from a number of different causes or influences

Pedigree – a chart of an individual's ancestors used in human genetics to analyze

Mendelian inheritance of certain traits, especially of familial diseases

Carriers - an individual that carries one gene for a particular recessive trait

Cystic fibrosis - a hereditary chronic disease of the exocrine glands, characterized

by the production of viscid mucus that obstructs the pancreatic ducts and bronchi,
leading to infection and fibrosis

Tay-sachs disease – a rare fatal hereditary disease, occurring chiefly in infants and
children, characterized by a red spot on the retina, gradual blindness, and paralysis

Sickle cell disease – A chronic, usually fatal anemia marked by sickle-shaped red
blood cells

Huntington’s disease – a genetic neurological disorder characterized after onset by

uncoordinated, jerky body movements called chorea and a decline in some mental
abilities

Amniocentesis – a surgical procedure for obtaining a sample of amniotic fluid from

the amniotic sac in the uterus of a pregnant woman by inserting a hollow needle
through the abdominal wall
CVS - a prenatal test for detecting birth defects at an early stage of pregnancy,
involving removal by needle of fluid from the chorionic villus, and examination of
the cells obtained