DMD Lesson 6 Inheritance of Genes

DNA

A complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.

chromosome

A form of duplicated DNA coiled up around proteins, keep DNA organized during cell division and contains genes.

gene

A segment of DNA on a chromosome that codes for a specific protein (then trait).genom

genome

All the genetic information in an organism; all of an organism's DNA / chromosomes.

allele

An alternative/different form of a gene. (brown eye color, blue eye color)

homologous chromosomes

Chromosomes that have the same sequence of genes and the same structure (1 came from the mother & 1 from the father)

inheritance

The process in which genetic material is passed from parents to their offspring.

meiosis

a type of cell division that results in four daughter cells each with half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell, as in the production of gametes and plant spores

gametes

egg & sperm cells; have half the number of chromosomes of body cells

zygote

fertilized egg

mitosis

part of cell division that produces 2 genetically identical daughter cells: It's how we grow from 1 cell to trillions of cells.

crossing over, independent assortment & random fertilization

processes that contribute to the genetic variation in offspring produced by sexual reproduction