Inherited Traits Flashcards

Questions and Answers

What is heredity?

The transfer of traits from one generation to another generation.

Who is Gregor Mendel?

Father of modern genetics, an Austrian monk.

What are inherited traits?

A characteristic or features of one organism that are inherited.

Give examples of inherited traits.

Freckles, hair color, face shape. Signup and view all the answers

What are dominant traits?

Traits that hide other traits when passed on to offspring. Signup and view all the answers

What are recessive traits?

Traits that get hidden by dominant traits. Signup and view all the answers

What does heterozygous mean?

A genotype that has two different alleles for the same trait. Signup and view all the answers

What is a gene?

A piece of DNA on a chromosome. Signup and view all the answers

What is a phenotype?

A visible trait, such as hair color or eye color. Signup and view all the answers

What is a dominant trait?

A trait that is represented by a capital letter and will cover the recessive trait. Signup and view all the answers

What is an allele?

A letter that represents a part of a gene; two of these make up a genotype. Signup and view all the answers

What does homozygous mean?

A genotype that has two of the same alleles for a trait. Signup and view all the answers

What is genotype?

The genetic makeup of an organism or two alleles that produce a phenotype. Signup and view all the answers

What is a recessive trait?

A trait that is represented by a lowercase letter and is covered by the dominant trait. Signup and view all the answers

RR is an example of a homozygous, recessive genotype.

False Signup and view all the answers

Rr is an example of a homozygous, recessive genotype.

True Signup and view all the answers

For a recessive trait to show, you only have to have one recessive allele.

False Signup and view all the answers

How many alleles does each parent give to their offspring?

One allele from each parent. Signup and view all the answers

What is the scientific term for children?

Offspring. Signup and view all the answers

Is language an example of an inherited trait or an acquired trait?

Acquired trait Signup and view all the answers

Is eye color an example of an inherited trait or an acquired trait?

Inherited trait Signup and view all the answers

What is the order, smallest to largest, for nucleus, DNA, gene, and chromosome?

Smallest - gene, DNA, chromosome, nucleus - largest. Signup and view all the answers

What type of traits are represented by birds knowing how to build nests, marine iguanas burying their eggs, and dogs trusting humans?

Behavioral traits. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Heredity and Genetics

Heredity involves the transmission of traits from one generation to the next.
Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, is recognized as the father of modern genetics due to his foundational work on inheritance.

Traits and Their Categories

Inherited traits are characteristics passed from parents to offspring, including physical features and genetic traits.
Dominant traits are expressed in offspring even if only one parent contributes the gene; they are denoted by capital letters (e.g., Brown Eyes).
Recessive traits require contributions from both parents to manifest, represented by lowercase letters (e.g., Blue or Green eyes).

Genetic Makeup

A genotype refers to the genetic composition of an organism, influencing its phenotype, which is the observable trait (e.g., hair color, eye color).
Alleles are parts of genes represented by letters; two alleles determine the genotype.
Homozygous genotypes have identical alleles (e.g., RR for dominant traits or rr for recessive traits), while heterozygous genotypes contain different alleles (e.g., Rr).

Genotype and Phenotype Relationships

A dominant trait will always mask the presence of a recessive trait when paired together, making homozygous dominant genotypes observable.
For recessive traits to be expressed, two recessive alleles must be present; a single recessive allele will not suffice.

Dependency on Parental Genes

Each parent contributes one allele to their offspring, resulting in a genetic composition that is 50% from the mother and 50% from the father.
Offspring is the scientific term used for children born from parents.

Acquired vs. Inherited Traits

Some characteristics, like eye color, are inherently inherited and remain consistent.
Language is considered an acquired trait since it is learned postnatally and varies per culture.

Genetic Hierarchy

The genetic order from smallest to largest is: gene, DNA, chromosome, and nucleus.

Behavioral Traits

Examples of behavioral traits include birds building nests, marine iguanas burying eggs, and dogs trusting humans—all influenced by genetic coding and environmental interaction.

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Description

Test your knowledge of inherited traits with these flashcards! Learn key terms such as heredity, examples of inherited traits, and the contributions of Gregor Mendel to modern genetics. Perfect for students looking to reinforce their understanding of genetic inheritance.