Mendel’s 3 Laws of Inheritance – Flashcard

Mendel’s Law of Segregation states that each individual has two alleles for each trait, which separate during meiosis so that each gamete contains only one allele for each trait.

Alleles segregate independently into gametes, meaning each gamete receives only one allele from each gene pair.

A gamete is a reproductive cell (sperm or egg) that contains half the genetic material of an organism.

Offspring inherit one allele for each trait from each parent, resulting in a pair of alleles for each trait.

Mendel’s Law of Independent Assortment states that alleles for different traits are inherited independently of each other.

The inheritance of one trait does not affect the inheritance of another trait, particularly if the genes for these traits are on different chromosomes.

A dihybrid cross is a genetic cross that examines the inheritance of two different traits simultaneously.

Mendel observed a 9:3:3:1 phenotypic ratio in the offspring of dihybrid crosses.

Mendel’s Law of Dominance states that in a heterozygous individual, the dominant allele masks the expression of the recessive allele.

A dominant allele is an allele that expresses its trait even if only one copy is present in the genotype.

A recessive allele is an allele that only expresses its trait when two copies are present in the genotype.

Dominant alleles are represented by uppercase letters, while recessive alleles are represented by lowercase letters.

An individual is homozygous for a trait if it has two identical alleles for that trait.

An individual is heterozygous for a trait if it has two different alleles for that trait.

Mendel’s work laid the foundation for modern genetics by establishing the principles of inheritance through discrete units called genes.

Mendel’s work was recognized and validated in 1900, more than 30 years after his initial experiments.

Phenotype refers to the observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, determined by both its genotype and environmental factors.

Meiosis reduces the chromosome number by half, creating gametes that contain one allele for each gene, ensuring the accurate transmission of genetic traits.

By ensuring that alleles are randomly distributed into gametes, the Law of Segregation contributes to genetic diversity in offspring.

Mendelian genetics is the study of inheritance patterns and principles established by Gregor Mendel, including the laws of segregation, independent assortment, and dominance.