Download Genetics Vocabulary

Term
DNA
Chromosome
Acquired Traits
Adaptations
Genes
Inherited Trait
Allele
Dominate Allele
Recessive Allele
Genotype
Heterozygous Gene
Homozygous Gene
Natural Selection
Definition
Deoxyribonucleic Acid; a chemical inside cells that
contains hereditary information and controls how an
organism will look and function by controlling which
proteins a cell produces.
A structure that transfers hereditary information to the
next generation
Also known as behavioral traits. These are traits or
characteristics that develop during a lifetime and are not
passed to offspring through DNA.
A variation that makes an organism better suited to its
environment. These traits increase the chance of
surviving and reproducing.
The basic unit of heredity that are carried by the
chromosome; provides the code for features of the
organism
Also known as structural adaptations. These traits are
transferred to offspring through the DNA from one
parent to another. These traits better adapt the
individual for survival in the environment and are specific
for that environment
Variations of genes that determine traits in organisms;
the two corresponding alleles on two paired
chromosomes constitute a gene
A form of a gene that is expressed as the trait when a
dominant allele is present
A form of a gene that is expressed as the trait only when
a dominant allele is not present
An organism’s particular combination of paired alleles
(genes)
A gene composed of two different alleles (a dominant
and a recessive allele)
A gene composed of two identical alleles (either both
dominate or both recessive)
The process by which the individuals best adapted to
their environment tend to survive and pass their traits to
subsequent generations
Phenotype
Trait
Variation
The traits produced by the genotype; the expression of
the genes
The specific way a feature is expressed in an individual
organism
The range of expression of a trait within a population.