| A | B |
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| genetics | the study of heredity |
| heredity | the process whereby you receive the genes from your parents that determine your traits |
| trait | a characteristic of an organism and is determined by genes |
| gene | the basic unit of heredity |
| allele | each member of a gene pair |
| chromosome | rod-shaped cell structure that directs the activities of a cell and passes on the traits of a cell to a new cell |
| dominant | usually expressed and will show up in the organism as its phenotype |
| recessive | a weak gene with the hidden or masked trait, usually NOT expressed but it does exist on the chromosome |
| Chromosome Theory | theory that states that genes are found on chromosomes and that genes are carried from the parental generation to the next generation on chromosomes. |
| phenotype | the visible characteristic of an organism - the trait that is expressed, such as blue skin or red hair |
| genotype | the genetic makeup of an organism. Such as Rr |
| probability | the possibility that an event may or may not take place |
| punnett square | a chart developed to show possible combinations of the cross between two organisms |
| incomplete dominance | the condition that occurs when a gene is neither dominant nor recessive. The resulting phenotype shows a trait that is a blending of the two genes |
| mitosis | the duplication and division of the nucleus and of the chromosomes during cell reproduction. The parent cell duplicates its DNA and then splits into two daughter cells. Daughter cells have the exact same amount of DNA as the parent cell. |
| meiosis | the process that results in cells with only half the normal number of chromosomes |
| hybrid or heterozygous | genes that are different, one weak and one strong. This genotype is written as one upper case letter and one lower case letter (Rr) |
| purebred or homozygous | genes have the same allele either both dominant or both recessive. This genotype is written as either 2 lower case letters (rr) or two upper case letters (RR |
