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Addition Rule
a rule of probability stating that the probability of any one of two or more mutually exclusive events occurring can be determined by adding their individual probabilities
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Allele
any of the alternative versions of a gene that may produce distinguishable phenotypic effects
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Amniocentesis
a technique associated with prenatal diagnosis in which amniotic fluid is obtained by aspiration from a needle inserted into the uterus; the fluid and the fetal cells it contains are analyzed to detect certain genetic and congenital defects in the fetus
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Carrier
in genetics, an individual who is heterozygous at a given genetic locus for a recessively inherited disorder; the heterozygote is generally phenotypically normal for the disorder but can pass on the recessive allele to offspring
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Character
an observable heritable feature that may vary among individuals
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Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)
a technique associated with prenatal diagnosis in which a small sample of the fetal portion of the placenta is removed for analysis to detect certain genetic and congenital defects in the fetus
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Codominance
the situation in which the phenotypes of both alleles are exhibited in the heterozygote because both alleles affect the phenotype in separate, distinguishable ways
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Complete Dominance
the situation in which the phenotypes of the heterozygote and dominant homozygote are indistinguishable
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Cystic Fibrosis
a human genetic disorder caused by a recessive allele for a chloride channel protein; characterized by an excessive secretion of mucus and consequent vulnerability to infection; fatal if untreated
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Dihybrid
an organism that is heterozygous with respect to two genes of interest; all of the offspring from a cross between parents doubly homozygous for different alleles are dihybrids; for example, parents of genotypes AABB and aabb produce a dihybrid of genotype AaBb
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Dihybrid Cross
a cross between two organisms that are each heterozygous for both of the characters being followed (or the self-pollination of a plant that is heterozygous for both characters
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Dominant Allele
an allele that is fully expressed in the phenotype of a hertozygote
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Epistasis
a type of gene interaction in which the phenotypic expression of one gene alters that of another independently inherited gene
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F1 Generation
the first filial, hybrid (heterozygous) offspring arising from a parental (P generation) cross
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F2 Generation
the offspring resulting from interbreeding (or self-pollination) of the hybrid F1 Generation
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Genotype
the genetic makeup, or set of alleles, of an organism
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Heterozygous
having two different alleles for a given gene
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Homozygous
having two identical alleles for a given gene
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Huntington's Disease
a human genetic disease caused by a dominant allele; characterized by uncontrollable body movements and degeneration of the nervous system; usually fatal 10 to 20 years after onset of symptoms
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Hybridization
in genetics, the mating, or crossing, of two true-breeding varieties
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Incomplete Dominance
the situation in which the phenotype of heterozygotes is intermediate between the phenotypes of individuals homozygous for either allele
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Law of Independent Assortment
Mendel's second law, stating that each pair of alleles segregates, or assorts, independently of each other pairs of homologous chromosomes or when they are far enough apart on the same chromosome to behave as though they are on different chromosomes
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Law of Segregation
Mendel's first law, stating that the two alleles in a pair of segregate (separate from each other) into different gametes during gamete formation
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Monohybrid
an organism that is heterozygous with respect to a single gene of interest; all the offspring from a cross between parents homozygous for different alleles are monohyrbids; for example, parents of genotypes AA and aa produce a monohybrid of genotype Aa
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Monohybrid Cross
a cross between two organisms that are heterozygous for the character being followed (or the self-pollination of a heterozygous plant)
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Multifactorial
referring to a phenotypic character that is influenced by multiple genes and environmental factors
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Multiplication Rule
a rule of probability stating that the probability of two or more indepedent events occurring together can bee determined by multiplying their individual probabilities
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Pedigree
a diagram of a famaily tree with conventional symbols, showing the occurrence of heritable characters in parents and offspring over multiple generations
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P Generation
the true-breeding (homozygous) parent individuals from which F1 hybrid offspring are derived in studies of inheritance; P stands for "parental"
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Phenotype
the observable physical and physiological traits of an organism, which are determined by its genetic makeup
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Pleiotrophy
the ability of a single gene to have multiple effects
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Polygenic Inheritance
an additive effect of two or more genes on a single phenotypic character
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Punnett Square
a diagram used in the study of inheritance to show the predicted genotypic results of random fertilization in genetic crosses between individuals of know genotype
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Quantitative Character
a heritable feature that varies continuously over a range rather than in an either-or fashion
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Recessive Allele
an allele whose phenotypic effect is not observed in a heterozygote
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Sickle-Cell Disease
a recessively inherited human blood disorder in which a single nucleotide change in the β-globin gene causes hemoglobin to aggregate, changing the red blood cell shape and causing multiple symptoms in afflicted individuals
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Tay-Sachs Disease
a human genetic disease caused by a recessive allele for a dysfunctional enzyme, leading to accumulation of certain lipids in the brain; seizures, baldness, and degeneration of motor and mental performance usually become manifest a few months after birth, followed by death with a few years
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Testcross
breeding an organism of unknown genotype with a homozygous recessive individual to determine the unknown genotype; the ration of phenotypes in the offpsring reveals the unknown genotype
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Trait
one of two or more detectable variants in a genetic character
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True-Breeding
referring to organisms that produce offspring of the same variety over many generations of self-pollination
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