GENETICS TERMS EXPLAINED

Gene: The unit of inheritance. A gene is a sequence of molecules on the DNA strand that encodes the synthesis of a protein. In Sewall Wright and Kleberg’s time this was not known; geneticists of that era conceptualized genes as discrete particles, often pictured as beads.

Genotype or Genome: The genes of an individual (not visible to ordinary observation) that determine traits that can be observed; see phenotype.

Gene Pool: The stock of genes carried by a breeding population, including all possible allelic variants that can be found in that population. Note the difference between the genome (possessed by the individual) and the gene pool (representing the whole population).

All the factors about an individual that are observed or measured. The term