Chapter 14 Notes

Mendel and the gene idea

 Concept 14.1
In 1857, Gregor Mendel began breeding peas to
study inheritance
Geneticists use the term character to describe
a heritable feature
- ex. flower color
Each variant for a character is called a trait
- ex purple flowers or white flowers
 Concept 14.1
Mendel began his experiment using
true-breeding plants
- when the plants self-pollinate, all
offspring are of the same variety
Mendel would cross 2 true-breeding
plants. This crossing is called
hybridization.
Concept 14.1
- the true-breeding parents are the P
generation (parental generation) and
their hybrid offspring are referred to as
the F1 generation (First filial).
- when the F1 generation is allowed to
self-pollinate, their offspring become the
F2 generation (second filial).
Concept 14.1
By the law of segregation, the two
alleles for a character are
packaged into separate gametes.
- P generation: purple x white
- F1 generation: all purple
- F2 generation: ¾ purple, ¼ white
Mendel saw this in 6 other varieties
Concept 14.1
Gregor Mendel’s Discoveries
1. Alternative versions of genes
(different alleles) account for
variations in inherited characters.
- the alternative forms of a gene
are called alleles.
ex. gene: flower color
alleles: white, purple
Concept 14.1
Concept 14.1
2. For each character, an organism inherits
two alleles, one from each parent.
3. If the two alleles differ, than one, the
dominant allele, is fully expressed in the
organisms appearance; the other, the
recessive allele, has no noticeable effect
on the organism’s appearance.
Concept 14.1
4. The two alleles segregate
(separate) during gamete
production

Punnett squares are used to

predict the results of a genetic
cross between individuals of known
genotypes.
Concept 14.1
Homozygous: when the alleles for a
gene are identical
Heterozygous: when the alleles for
a gene are different
Phenotype: physical appearance
Genotype: genetic makeup
Concept 14.1
A testcross can be used to determine the
genotype of an organism that displays a
dominant trait.
- ex. Is the purple flower homozygous or
heterozygous?
Cross it with a recessive (white) flower.
The results will tell the genotype.
Concept 14.1
Concept 14.1
A cross in which only one character
is discussed is a monohybrid
cross.
ex. flower color
If two characters are discussed, the
cross is a dihybrid cross
ex. flower color, seed color
Concept 14.1
Independent law of assortment:
each pair of alleles will segregate
independently during gamete
formation.
Concept 14.3
Incomplete dominance
- when the F1 hybrids have an
appearance somewhere in
between the phenotypes of the
parents.
- white + red = pink
Concept 14.3
Concept 14.3
Codominance/Multiple Alleles
- the two alleles affect the
phenotype in separate
distinguishable ways.
- ex. A, B, AB, and O blood types
Concept 14.3
Concept 14.3
Pleiotropy
- the ability of a gene to affect an
organism in many ways
- ex. the alleles for sickle-cell
disease cause multiple symptoms
Concept 14.3
Epistasis
- a gene at one locus alters the
phenotypic expression of a gene at
a second locus
- ex. coat color in mice
Concept 14.3
Polygenic inheritance
- the additive effect of two or more
genes on a single character; not an
“either or” situation
- converse of pleiotropy where a
single gene affects several
phenotypic characters
- skin color
Concept 14.3
Extending Mendelian Genetics
Nature vs. Nurture: The
environmental Impact on
Phenotype
- the environment plays an
important role on one’s phenotype
- ex. nutrition influences height,
sun- tanning darkens the skin
Concept 14.3
Norm of reaction: the product of a
genotype is not generally a rigidly
defined phenotype, but a range of
phenotypic possibilities which may be
due to environmental influences.
Characters are multifactorial when both
genetic and environmental factors
influence phenotype
Concept 14.4
Pedigree: a family tree that
describes the relationships
between generations for a
particular trait
- pedigrees are used to map out
specific phenotypic traits
Concept 14.4
Concept 14.4
Many human disorders follow
Mendelian patterns of inheritance
Recessively Inherited Diseases
- if someone is heterozygous for a
trait they are termed a carrier.
Carriers do not display the trait but
can pass on the allele to offspring
Concept 14.4
Common recessive genetic disorders
- Cystic fibrosis: 1/2500 people of
European decent; 1/25(4%) are
carriers
- Tay-Sachs disease:
- sickle-cell disease: 1/400 African-
Americans
Concept 14.4
Common dominant genetic disorders
- Anchondroplasia: form of
dwarfism
- Huntington’s disease: no obvious
phenotypic effect until 35 to 45
yrs. old