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OBSERVING PATTERNS
IN INHERITED TRAITS
Chapter Outline
Learning Objectives
13.1 Examine the negative consequences of the genetic disorder known as cystic fibrosis.
13.2 Examine how alleles contribute to traits.
13.3 Demonstrate Mendel’s law of segregation using a monohybrid cross.
13.4 Demonstrate Mendel’s law of independent assortment using a dihybrid cross.
13.5 Outline the different ways in which an allele can influence an inherited trait using Punnett squares.
13.6 Examine the influence of the environment on the phenotype of an organism using examples.
13.7 Examine the characteristics of continuous variation.
Key Terms
Lecture Outline
Chapter Thirteen
9. P = true-breeding parental generation; F1 = first-generation offspring; F2 = second-
generation offspring of self-fertilized or intercrossed F1 individuals.
Chapter Thirteen
3. Water fleas have different phenotypes depending on the presence or absence of
predators.
4. Some people tolerate stress better than others, perhaps due to differences in the gene for
a serotonin-transporting protein. Serotonin compromises response to stress.
B. Environmentally driven changes in gene expression can be inherited due to epigenetic
changes in gene expression .
Chapter Thirteen
Classroom Discussion Ideas
• Describe the behavior of one trait with regard to its inheritance in a particular cross; then ask stu-
dents to identify the genetic mechanism at work (simple dominance, recessive inheritance,
incomplete dominance, codominance, epistasis, pleiotropy, polygenic inheritance).
Cystic fibrosis has been targeted for gene therapy. Discuss the pros and cons of using gene therapy
to help cystic fibrosis patients.
Discuss the pros and cons of requiring individuals to be genetically screened for disorders such as
cystic fibrosis. Ask the students to think about how their opinion on having children might change
if they knew they were carriers.
• List some human traits that you would guess are governed by a single gene.
• Give several reasons why Mendel’s pea plants were a good choice for an experimental organism in
genetics. Give an example of an organism that would be a poor choice for genetic research and ex-
plain your choice.
Conduct a quick review in class of the various inheritable traits. Ask the students what kind of
inheritance pattern the trait is an example of.
• Describe several different crosses using organisms such as Mendel’s pea plants. Then ask students
to calculate phenotypic and genotypic ratios for each cross.
• Discuss the significance of Mendel’s use of mathematical and statistical analysis in his research.
• Why do you think Mendel was not immediately recognized as the discoverer of a new area of
biology—genetics?
Why does the gene interaction (incomplete dominance) NOT support the blending theory? How
does it resemble the blending theory?
• What conclusions might Mendel have made if he had chosen snapdragons instead of peas for his
study material?
• Why are the traits of human skin color and height not suitable for explaining the concept of simple
dominance?
• There are four possible blood types in the ABO system. But how many different alleles are in the
human population for this marker?
• What is the subtle difference between incomplete dominance and codominance?
• What is the significance of using upper- and lower-case versions of the same letter (for example, A
and a) for the dominant and recessive trait, respectively, rather than a capital A for dominant and
the letter B (or b) for recessive?
Assign the following paper to students and hold an in-class discussion/debate for and against
genetic screening for diseases. Norrgard, K. (2008) Ethics of genetic testing: medical insurance and
genetic discrimination. Nature Education 1(1):90
Chapter Thirteen