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.
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What are dominant traits?
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What are recessive traits?
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What does heterozygous mean?
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What is a gene?
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What is a phenotype?
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What is a dominant trait?
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What is an allele?
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What does homozygous mean?
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What is genotype?
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What is a recessive trait?
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RR is an example of a homozygous, recessive genotype.
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Rr is an example of a homozygous, recessive genotype.
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For a recessive trait to show, you only have to have one recessive allele.
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How many alleles does each parent give to their offspring?
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What is the scientific term for children?
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Is language an example of an inherited trait or an acquired trait?
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Is eye color an example of an inherited trait or an acquired trait?
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What is the order, smallest to largest, for nucleus, DNA, gene, and chromosome?
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What type of traits are represented by birds knowing how to build nests, marine iguanas burying their eggs, and dogs trusting humans?
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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.