This document defines key genetics terms and concepts including: traits, heredity, dominant and recessive traits, genes, alleles, phenotype, genotype, homozygous, heterozygous, DNA, Punnett squares, meiosis, sexual reproduction, asexual reproduction, sex chromosomes, and the X and Y chromosomes. It also differentiates between inherited and learned traits, provides examples of each, and includes a short genetics terms quiz.

1. Genetics Terms to Learn
• Genetics
• Trait
• Heredity
• Dominant trait
• Recessive Trait
• Genes
• Alleles
• Phenotype
• Genotype
• Homozygous
• Heterozygous
• DNA
• Punnett Squares
• Meiosis
• Sexual reproduction
• Asexual reproduction
• Sex chromosomes
• X chromosome
• Y chromosome

2. Genetics Terms to Learn
• Asexual reproduction
– Budding
– Binary Fission
– Cloning

3. Genetics Terms to Learn
• Trait- a characteristic that can be inherited
• Heredity—passing of traits from parents to
offspring
• Dominant trait—the trait that is observed
when one allele (the strong form) is
inherited; ex: dimples, DD or Dd
• Recessive trait—trait that is observed only
when two recessive (weak form) alleles
are inherited; ex: no dimples, dd

4. • Genes—sections of DNA that carry the
hereditary instructions; located on
chromosomes
• Alleles—different forms of a gene
• Phenotype—organism’s inherited
appearance; ex: blue eyes
• Genotype—the inherited combination of
alleles (genes); ex: bb
• Homozygous – having the same genes for
a specific trait (gg, GG)
• Heterozygous – having different genes for
a specific trait (Gg, Bb, Cc)

5. • DNA – hereditary information in the
nucleus and mitochondria’s (maternal
DNA) of our cells. Controls our cells
• Punnett Squares – a way that geneticists
can determine what genes offsprings of
two parents will have.

6. Inherited or not????
• Inherited Traits
• Eye color
• Hair color
• Skin color
• Blood type
• Color blindness
• Handedness
• Height
• Freckles
• Musical talent
• Artistic talent
• Learned Traits are not
inherited:
• Examples:
• Speak a language
• Read music
• Painting technique
• Good manners
• Reading ability
• Food preference
• Play an instrument
• Hairstyle

7. Sexual reproduction
• Meiosis—nuclear division that makes sex
cells with one of each pair (half) of the
chromosomes of the parent
• Sex chromosomes—the pair of
chromosomes that determine the sex of
the organism
• X chromosome—female sex chromosome
• Y chromosome—male sex chromosome

8. Genetics Terms Quiz
1. a characteristic that can be inherited
(gene, chromosome, trait)
2. passing of traits from parents to offspring
(meiosis, fertilization, heredity)
3. trait that is observed when one allele (the
strong form) is inherited; ex: dimples, DD or Dd
(recessive, dominant, inherited)
4. trait that is observed only when two recessive
(weak form) alleles are inherited; ex: no dimples,
dd
(Recessive, dominant, clone)

9. 5. sections of DNA that carry the hereditary
instructions; located on chromosomes
(codes, genes, alleles)
6. different forms of a gene
(traits, chromosomes, alleles)
7. organism’s inherited appearance; ex: blue
eyes
(heredity, alleles, genotype, phenotype)
8. the inherited combination of alleles (genes); ex:
bb
(genotype, phenotype, chromosomes)