Download Life Science vocabulary

Life Science vocabulary
Act 54
Characteristic- A feature or quality
Gene- a specific sequence of DNA that determines one or more traits
Genetics- the study of variation and heredity
Heredity- The passing of traits to offspring from the parent to the child
Inherited- The passage of traits from parent to offspring
Trait- a specific version of a characteristic that varies from one individual
to another.
Ex: Face shape is a characteristic and round face is the trait
Act 55:
Offspring- descendants of a person, animal, or plant
Activity 57:
asexual reproduction Process by which organisms make exact copies of
themselves without the union of gametes (sperm and egg cells).
cell The smallest structural unit enclosed by a membrane that makes up all living
organisms.
clone An offspring produced by asexual reproduction that is genetically identifcal,
either naturally or through artificial processes.
egg cell A cell produced by a female that contains half of the number of
chromosomes present in other body cells. A female reproductive cell.
fertilization The union of a male sperm and a female egg to form a zygote.
mutation A change in the DNA of a gene that can lead to a different trait.
nucleus a membrane bound structure that contains the cell's hereditary
information and controls the cell's growth and reproduction.
sexual reproduction Process by which a sperm cell from a male unites with an
egg cell from female to produce offspring that inherit traits from both.
sperm cell Cell produced by a male that contains half of the chromosomes of body
cells. A male sex cell.
cell division The process by which a parent cell splits to form two daughter cells in
order for an organism to grow and replace injured and worn out cells or to
reproduce via asexual reproduction.
Gamete- A reproductive cell (sperm or egg) having the haploid number (1/2) of
chromosomes
Haploid- ½ the number of chromosomes. (A human has 23 chromosomes in a
haploid cell)
Diploid- full set of chromosomes, ½ from each parent. (A human has 46
chromosomes in a diploid cell)
Mitosis- A type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each the same as
the parent nucleus, typical of ordinary tissue growth.
Meiosis- A type of cell division that produces haploid cells. This occurs only in
reproductive tissues (testes, ovaries)
Act59 Gene Combo
Ratio A ratio shows the relative sizes of two or more values.
Compares two parts of a whole to each other:
¾ shaded : ¼ unshaded or ratio of 3:1
Ratios can be shown in different ways. Using the ":" to separate example values, or as a single number by dividing
one value by the total.
Hypothesis A possible explanation for observations, facts, or events, that may be tested, verified, or answered by further
investigation.
Allele
A version of a gene.
Dominant
The genetic feature that hides the recessive trait in an individual.
Probability
the chance that something will happen
Probability is the chance that something will happen - how likely it is that some event will happen.
Sometimes you can measure a probability with a number: "10% chance of rain", or you can use words such as
impossible, unlikely, possible, even chance, likely and certain.
Random
without definite aim, direction, rule, or method
Recessive
trait.
A recessive trait is a trait that only shows when the individual has two recessive alleles for that
Fraction Part of a whole.
A number written with the bottom part (the denominator) telling you how many parts the whole
is divided into, and the top part (the numerator) telling how many you have.
Used to compare a part to a whole. ¾ of whole is shaded.
Characteristic - observable or measurable feature of an organism. Can be affected by one or more
genes
Trait - a version of a characteristic.
Each gene exists in a # of versions called Alleles. Each individual has a pair
of alleles for each gene (one from each parent)
Act 61
Genotype- The genes or allele combination for a characteristic
Phenotype- Actual characteristic that is observed
Homozygous- only one kind of allele for a characteristic is present
Heterozygous- an allele for two different traits of a characteristic is present
Punnett square- a diagram used to show how parent’s
alleles might combine in the offspring
Act 63
Chromosome A strand of DNA, found in the nucleus of a cell, that
contains the genes that store hereditary information.
Human cells in the body (except sex cells) contain 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 total chromosomes).
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid; a long double-helix molecule, present in
chromosomes, that contains the genes.
The information in DNA is stored as a code made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G),
cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Human DNA consists of about 3 billion bases, and more than 99 percent of
those bases are the same in all people. The order, or sequence, of these bases determines the information
available for building and maintaining an organism.
Activity 64
Nature vs Nurture-
Activity 65
DiversityCoDominance- both alleles contribute to phenotype but instead of
blend, get both traits. Ex: A + B blood = AB blood. Purple + white
flowers = spotted flowers of purple and white
Incomplete Dominance- each allele influences phenotype resulting in
a blend. Ex: Red + white flower = pink flower
Sex Determination- Male=xy Female= xx Male determines sex.
50/50 chance.
Act 66
Carrier- a person who is heterozygous for a genetic condition but does
not have the condition
Pedigree- a family tree used for genetic analysis
Act 68Blood Types- A, B, AB, O O is recessive, A and B are co-dominant.
Type
Alleles possible
A
AO, AA
B
BO, BB
AB
AB
O
OO
Rh Factor + and - , - is recessive
Act 69
DNA fingerprinting A technique used to analyze the unique pattern of DNA sequences
from an individual in order to identify the individual.
Activity 70
Ethics- The process of thinking and discussing by which we decide on issues of
right (good) and wrong (bad) as applied to people and their actions
Science and Technology determine what we CAN do
Ethics helps us decide what we SHOULD do.