Name: ________________________ Period:

_____

Percents and Such:

Expected results:

Observed results:

Working with Observed and Expected Results:

In order to determine whether traits follow Mendel’s laws, you can compare the
observed and expected results. If the results are close to expected, then you can
conclude that the inheritance pattern is Mendelian. If the results are not close, that
could indicate a non-Mendelian inheritance pattern or linked genes (genes that do
not assort independently during meiosis).

Example: Do the following F2 results indicate a Mendelian

Inheritance Pattern?

Expected results for F2 = 75% Tall : 25% short

Observed results for F2 = 787 tall : 277 short

F2 generation size = 787 + 277 = 1064 individuals

F2 observed percent Tall = 787/1064 = 0.74 x 100 = 74%

F2 observed percent Short = 277/1064 = 0.26 x 100 = 26%

The observed and expected results only differ by 1%, so you can assume that the
inheritance pattern follows Mendel’s Laws.

Working Backwards, Determining Expected Numbers of

Organisms:

If you expect 75% of the F2 generation to be tall, and are told that the F2
generation size is 550 individuals, you can determine the number of individuals that
you would expect to be tall.

Expected number of F2 talls = (size of population) (expected percent/100)

Expected number of F2 talls = (550) (75/100)

(550) (0.75) = 412.5 = 413 individuals

FYI:
♦ If asked about the expected number of short plants, you would simply subtract
413 from 550 and get 137. Do NOT follow the formula again, because you would
end up with 137.5 which would round to 138 and give you an F2 of 551, not 550.
♦ Be VERY careful to pay attention to language!!!!! HOW MANY means a NUMBER,
not a PERCENT.

1. A black guinea pig was crossed with a white guinea pig. All of the
individuals in the F1 generation were then crossed among
themselves, resulting in 45 black guinea pigs and 19 white guinea
pigs. Use B and b.

a. Is black or white dominant? How do you know?

b. How many of the black pigs in the F2 generation would you expect to be
pure dominant?

c. How many of the black pigs in the F2 generation would you expect to be
hybrid?

d. How many of the white pigs in the F2 generation would you expect to be
pure recessive?

e. What percent of the F2 was black?

f. What percent of the F2 was white?

g. What is the difference between the expected and observed black guinea
pigs in the F2?

h. What is the difference between the expected and observed white guinea
pigs in the F2?

2. A breeder crossed an F2 white guinea pig from problem 1 with an F2

black guinea pig. Nine offspring were produced and all were black.

a. What was the genotype of the F2 black guinea pig used in this particular
cross? How do you know?

b. Use your answer above to determine how many black guinea pigs the
breeder should have expected from this cross.

c. What is the difference between the observed and expected for black?

3. The gene for the absence of eyes in fruit flies is recessive, the gene
for normal eyes is dominant. An eyeless male is crossed with a
female that is heterozygous for normal eyes. They produce 750
offspring. The heterozygous individuals from this cross breed with
each other and they produce 3500 offspring. Use E and e.

a. How many of the F1 generation should be blind?

b. How many of the F2 should have normal eyes?

c. How many of the F1 should be heterozygous for normal eyes?

d. How many of the F2 should be homozygous for normal eyes?