Mendelian Inheritance

A gene is the fundamental unit of heredity and is a region of DNA that codes for a specific protein.

Gregor Mendel is known as the 'Father of Genetics' for his pioneering work on pea plants, which laid the foundation for our understanding of heredity.

Alleles are the different forms of a gene that occur at a specific locus on a chromosome.

Brown eyes are an example of a dominant trait, meaning that the allele for brown eyes will always be expressed in an individual who carries it, even if they also carry the allele for blue eyes.

Short height is an example of a recessive trait, meaning that the allele for short height will only be expressed in an individual who carries two copies of the allele.

Genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an individual, including the alleles they carry for different genes.

Phenotype refers to the observable characteristics of an individual, such as their eye color, height, and blood type.

The law of segregation states that during meiosis, the two alleles of a gene separate and segregate into different gametes (eggs or sperm).

The law of independent assortment states that the alleles of different genes assort independently of one another during meiosis, meaning that the inheritance of one gene does not influence the inheritance of another gene.

A monohybrid cross is a cross between two individuals with different alleles for the same gene.

A dihybrid cross is a cross between two individuals with different alleles for two different genes.

A test cross is a cross between an individual with a dominant phenotype and an individual with a recessive phenotype to determine the genotype of the individual with the dominant phenotype.

A Punnett square is a diagram used to predict the offspring of a genetic cross by showing all possible combinations of alleles that can be inherited from the parents.

A pedigree chart is a diagram used to represent the genotype of an individual by showing the relationships between family members and the inheritance of traits.

A genetic disorder is a disorder caused by a mutation in a gene, which can lead to the production of a non-functional or defective protein.