What term describes a genetic cross where matings have traits swapped in parents?

A genetic cross where matings have traits swapped in parents is referred to as a reciprocal cross. This type of cross is important in genetics because it allows researchers to determine if the inheritance of a trait is influenced by the sex of the parent that transmits that trait. For example, if one parent exhibits a particular trait and the other parent does not, performing a reciprocal cross will involve swapping the traits between the two parents. By analyzing the offspring produced from both sets of parents, geneticists can gain insights into whether the traits are sex-linked or autosomal.

Other terms relate to different concepts in genetics. A backcross involves breeding a hybrid organism back to one of its parents or to a genetically similar individual, which is not the same as swapping traits. Genetic drift refers to the changes in allele frequencies in a population due to random sampling effects, which is unrelated to the concept of reciprocal crosses. A test cross is typically used to determine the genotype of an individual showing a dominant phenotype by crossing it with a homozygous recessive individual. Hence, the reciprocal cross specifically describes the scenario of swapped traits between parents.