Pedigrees definitions Flashcards
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Pedigree
A chart depicting family relationships and phenotypes across generations, using circles for females, squares for males, and shading to indicate affected individuals.
Phenotype
Observable traits or characteristics of an organism, resulting from the interaction of its genetic makeup and environmental influences.
Generations
Sequential stages in a family lineage used to track phenotypes and genetic traits over time, often depicted in pedigree charts.
Circles
Circles in pedigrees represent females, with shaded circles indicating affected individuals possessing the phenotype of interest.
Females
In pedigrees, circles represent individuals who can bear offspring and are typically the homogametic sex, possessing two of the same type of sex chromosome (XX in humans).
Squares
Symbols in pedigrees representing males, with shaded squares indicating affected individuals possessing the phenotype of interest.
Males
Squares in pedigrees representing individuals with XY chromosomes, typically denoting the male sex in genetic tracking.
Affected Individuals
Individuals in a pedigree chart who exhibit the phenotype of interest, indicated by shaded or colored shapes.
Horizontal Lines
Lines connecting two shapes in a pedigree chart, representing mating parents.
Mating Parents
Horizontal lines in a pedigree chart that connect a male and a female, indicating they have produced offspring together.
Vertical Lines
Vertical lines in pedigrees connect parents to their offspring, indicating generational relationships and lineage within the family tree.
Offspring
Progeny resulting from the reproductive process of two parent organisms, often tracked in pedigrees to study inheritance patterns.
Symbols in pedigrees
Circles represent females, squares represent males; shaded shapes indicate affected individuals; horizontal lines connect mating parents, vertical lines connect parents to offspring.
Connections
Horizontal lines link mating parents, while vertical lines connect parents to offspring in pedigrees, illustrating family relationships and inheritance patterns across generations.
Siblings
Individuals who share the same biological parents, depicted as connected by vertical lines from a common horizontal line in a pedigree chart.
Genetic Disorder
A genetic disorder is a disease caused by abnormalities in an individual's DNA, which can be inherited and tracked through family pedigrees.
Karyotype
A visual representation of an individual's complete set of chromosomes, arranged and classified by size, shape, and number, used to detect chromosomal abnormalities.