Important Vocabulary
You should already have an understanding of the following words. But to refresh your memory, here are some important words and their definitions.
Punnett Square: A chart that shows all the possible combinations of alleles that can result from a genetic cross.
Dominant allele: An allele whose trait always shows up in the organism when the allele is present.
Recessive allele: An allele that is masked when a dominant allele is present.
Phenotype: An organism's physical appearance, or visible traits.
Genotype: An organism's genetic makeup, or allele combination.
Homozygous: Having two identical alleles for a trait.
Heterzygous: Having two different alleles for a trait.
The following are now some new words that we have not worked with yet. They are very important for you to know in order to complete the activities.
Codominance: A condition in which neither of two alleles of a gene is dominant or recessive.
Alleles: The different forms of a gene
Sex chromosomes: A pair of chromosomes carrying genes that determine whether a person is male or female.
Sex-linked gene: A gene that is carried on the X or Y chromosome.
Carrier: A person who has one recessive allele for a trait, but does not have the trait.