Terms related to Mendelian inheritance
- Traits: These are the characteristics that are transferred onto upcoming individuals by the carrier of distinct components from the parent species.
- Genes: These are distinct units that each appear themselves independently in their progeny.
- Alleles: One pair from each parent is passed on to the progeny when two alternative pairings of a gene are present.
- Genotype: This term describes the particular arrangement of alleles for a certain set of genes. An uppercase letter “D” stands for a dominant gene, which displays its phenotypic traits more strongly than a lowercase letter “d” for a recessive gene.
- Phenotype: The visual characteristics of an organism, such as color, length, form, etc., that are the outcome of gene expression.
Gregor Mendel and the Principles of Inheritance
Mendelian inheritance is an explanation for how distinct units or genes pass on traits or personalities from one generation to the next. The theory was first put out by the Austrian monk Gregor Johann Mendel, who has been considered the “Father of Genetics” in recognition of his work. He established the laws of dominance, segregation, and independent assortment as three ways to explain the idea of inheritance.