What is the term for individuals that are homozygous and produce consistent offspring?

Study for the NCEA Level 1 Genetics Exam. Explore genetics concepts with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each providing hints and explanations. Get ready for your exam!

The term that describes individuals that are homozygous and produce consistent offspring is pure breeding. Pure breeding involves organisms that are homozygous for a particular trait, meaning they have two identical alleles. When these organisms are bred, they consistently produce offspring with the same traits, as there is no variation in the genetic makeup of the parents.

In pure breeding, for example, if you take two homozygous plants that both express the trait for purple flowers, all their offspring will also have purple flowers. This consistency is crucial for maintaining specific traits in breeding lines and is a fundamental concept in genetics.

The other options represent different concepts in genetics. Hybrid breeding refers to crossing different homozygous individuals to create a hybrid that may exhibit different traits. Mendelian inheritance describes how traits are passed from parents to offspring but does not specifically refer to homozygosity. Cross breeding involves mating individuals from different varieties or species and does not guarantee the consistency of offspring traits. Therefore, pure breeding is the correct term that captures the essence of homozygous individuals producing consistent offspring.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Examzify

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy