Gregor Mendel's

Peas
Mendel carried out his
work with ordinary garden
peas.
He manipulated the plant's
pollen and eggs to produce
the type of cross he
desired.
Trait

is a specific characteristic, such as seed color or

plant height, that varies from one individual to
another. What are some of your traits?

The offspring of crosses between parents

Hybrids with different traits are called. You are a
hybrid of your parents.

Mendel's first conclusion: was that biological

inheritance is determined by factors that are passed
from one generation to the next = GENES (part of a
chromosome)
The different forms of a gene are called alleles.
Example:
Genes determine hair color.
The alleles determine what color your hair will be.
Mendel tested traits:
Gene for height: alleles for tall and short plants
Gene for seed type: alleles for wrinkled or smooth
peas.
Gene for seed color: alleles for yellow or green
peas.
Can you figure this out??
Allele : gene :: Trait :

Mendel's second conclusion:

The principle of dominance states that some
alleles are dominant and others are recessive.
Dominant: allele for a particular trait will always
exhibit that form of the trait.
Represented by a capital letter
Recessive: allele for a particular trait will exhibit
that form only when the dominant allele for the
trait is not present.
Represented by a lower case letter.

Punnett Square: probability that can be used to predict the

outcomes of genetic crosses.
This Punnett square shows the probability of each possible outcome
of a cross between hybrid tall (Tt) pea plants.
homozygous ( homo same
=

Organisms that have two identical alleles

for a particular trait-TT or tt. What percent
of the offspring is homozygous?

heterozygous ( heterodifferent
=
Organisms that have two different
alleles for the same trait. What percent
of the offspring are heterozygous?

If T= tall plants and t=short plants;

What are the phenotypes of the plants in the Punnett square?
What percent is tall and what percent is short?

phenotyp physical characteristics

e:
genotyp genetic
makeup.
e:
In the picture of the plants:
What is the genotype?
What is the phenotype?
Do you always know if an
organism is homozygous or
heterozygous by looking at it?
Why or why not?
All of the tall plants have the
same phenotype. They do not,
however, have the same
genotype.

 P generation crossed to produce F1 generation

Among the F1 generation, all plants had purple
flowers
F1 plants are all heterozygous
Among the F2 generation, some plants had
purple flowers and some had white

Beginners Luck
Mendel was so successful because

the traits of the pea plants do not

blend together. The trait is either
seen or not seen.
This is now known as Mendelian
Genetics

Non-Mendelian Genetics

Non-Mendelian Genetics
Some traits dont follow the simple

dominant/recessive rules that Mendel

first applied to genetics.
Traits can be controlled by more than one
gene.
Some alleles are neither dominant nor
recessive.

Incomplete Dominance
One allele is not completely dominant over

another.
The heterozygous phenotype is a
blending of the two homozygous
phenotypes.
Example: four oclock flowers
rr=red
ww=white
rw=pink (blending of the two alleles)

Codominance
Two alleles are both expressed as a

dominant phenotype
Coat color in cows
RR: Red
WW: White
RW: Roan, white with red spots
(NOT pink!)

Sex-Linked Inheritance

Determining Sex
Males have an X and a

Y chromosome
Females have two X
chromosomes
These chromosomes

determine sex, so genes

located on these
chromosomes are
known as sex-linked
genes.

Disorders that are

sex-linked are much
more common in
males, because they
would only need 1
recessive allele to
have the trait; rather
than the two
recessive alleles
the females need.

Hemophilia
Recessive trait
Disorder where individuals are missing the

normal blood clotting protein.

Uncontrolled bleeds from minor cuts or
bruises.

Colorblindness
Recessive
Inability to see certain colors

Duchenne Muscular
Dystrophy
Recessive
Progressive weakening and loss of skeletal

muscle.
Defective version of gene that codes for
muscle protein

EXAMPLES!!
A woman who is heterozygous for normal

vision marries a man who is colorblind.

What are the chances of them having a
son or daughter who is colorblind?
**NOTE: You have to use Xs and Ys, and
read the punnett square separately for
boys and girls!**

Sex-linked Traits
x

Mom

Dad

A woman who is homozygous for normal

blood clotting marries a man who has

hemophilia. What are the chances of them
having a son or daughter with hemophilia?

Sex linked Traits

x

Mom

Dad

Heredity Lab

Handedness
The trait of

handedness in
genetically
determined.
If you are
ambidextrous you
have the dominant
trait for this allele.
Dominant = R (R or r)
Recessive = r r

Hand Clasping
When the hands are clasped together, your

thumb rests on top.

Dominant = Left Thumb on top H (H or h)
Recessive = Right Thumb on top h h

Dimpled Chin
A dimple (Cleft) chis is inherited.
Dominant = cleft chin D (D or d)
Recessive = smooth chin d d

Middle digit hair

Hair growth on the middle segment of their

fingers is dominant. Hair may be fine and

hard to see.
Dominant = Hair present M (M or m)
Recessive = Hair absent - mm

Ear Lobes
Dominant =

free lobes F (F
or f)
Recessive =

attached f f

Thumb Hyperextention
Also known as hitchhikers thumb
Dominant = curve in thumb T (T or t)
Recessive = straight thumb t t

http://www.zerobio.com/drag_gr11/pedigree/pedigree_overview.htm