Vocabulary
Trait:
A distinguishing quality or characteristics, such as the traits that determine your hair color, eye color, etc.
Gametes:
A mature haploid male of female germ cell that is able to unite with another of the opposite sex in sexual reproduction to form a zygote. If you have brown hair your gametes for you hair is Bb.
Fertilization:
The process of fertilizing an egg, female animal, or plant involving the fusion of male and female gametes to form a zygote. During sexual reproduction the male sperm cell fertilizes the female egg cell.
Heredity:
The passing on of a physical or mental characteristics genetically form one generation to another. The traits you receive from your parents are considered your heredity.
Genetics:
The study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics.
Alleles:
One of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome. You receive one allele for eye color from your mother and your father.
Genes:
A unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine characteristics of the offspring.
Dominant Trait:
Dominance in genetics is a non-linear relationship between different forms (alleles) of a gene and the resultant phenotype. The dominant trait always shows up in the offspring. (In this image the dominant trait is shown by the three Purple images, purple will take over in this offspring.)
Recessive Trait:
The Recessive Trait is similar to the Dominant Trait but the Recessive Trait DISAPPEARS! If the Dominant Trait is Brown Hair and the Recessive Trait is Blonde Hair, the offspring is going to be born with Brown Hair. (In this picture, the recessive trait is shown by the 'white' image. Notice the other three are purple, they are the dominant traits)
Heterozygous:
Both alleles are different; say your alleles for your eye color are Bb, which would be an example of a Heterozygous Allele Pair.
Homozygous:
Homozygous is the exact opposite from Heterozygous. In Homozygous the alleles have to be the same, such as BB or bb.