| A | B |
|---|
| Genetics | the scientific study of heredity |
| Heredity | the passing of physical characteristics from parents to offspring |
| DNA | contains your genes; found in the nucleus |
| Genes | the factor that controls a trait you exhibit; found on chromosomes |
| Traits | the different forms of a characteristic (dimples: present or absent) |
| Alleles | the letters that represent the different forms of a gene (dimples: D= present; d= absent) |
| Dominant | the trait that overshadows and is expressed (capital letter) |
| Recessive | the trait that hides in the background (lowercase letter). Can only be expressed in homozygous form (Ex: dd). |
| Genotype | combination of alleles (letters):DD,Dd,dd |
| Phenotype | the physical appearance of a trait (Ex: dimples, no dimples) |
| Homozygous/Purebred | two alleles/letters for one trait that are the same (Ex: DD or dd) |
| Heterozygous/Hybrid | two alleles/letters for one trait that are different (Ex: Dd) |
| Mitosis | cell reproduction- when one body cell becomes two |
| Meiosis | produces four sex cells, sperm or egg that are used to pass a parent’s traits to offspring. |
