Final answer:
A family tree that is used to follow human matings that have already occurred is called a pedigree. It is a chart that shows the inheritance of a trait over several generations and can help predict the probability of inheriting genetic disorders.
Step-by-step explanation:
A family tree that is used to follow human matings that have already occurred is called a pedigree. A pedigree is a chart that shows the inheritance of a trait over several generations. It is commonly created for families to outline the inheritance patterns of genetic disorders and traits.
In a pedigree, each row represents one generation of the family, with women represented by circles and males represented by squares. People who had children together are connected with a horizontal line, and their children are connected to this line with a vertical line.
A pedigree analysis helps predict the probability that offspring will inherit a genetic disorder.