Mendels Principle of

Dominance or Recessiveness
Traits found in humans

Engage

Map of X and Y Chromosomes

Explore 1

Fundamentally Genetics

You and your groups will be looking at each

other to determine whether you are dominant
or recessive for the following traits.

Tongue Rolling

Earlobes

Earbump

Often called Darwins Ear Bump

Dominant - Having a small bump on the
ear
Recessive - Not having the bump

Widows Peak

Hitchhikers Thumb

Polydactyly

Syndactyly Feet

Syndactyly Hands

Severe Syndactyly

Syndactyly Surgery

Cleft Chin

Clockwise Hair Whorl

Autosomal Dominant and Recessive

Huntington Disease Dominant Disease

Cystic Fibrosis Recessive Disease
Sickle Cell Anemia
Tay-Sachs
PKU

Explore 2

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs

Genes for traits are encoded and arranged linearly on

structures called chromosomes found in the nuclei of
most cells. When organisms reproduce, the resulting
offspring should receive an equal number of
chromosomes from the mother and the father.
In this activity you use the chromosomes and Bug
Traits Key to determine the genotype and phenotype
of the offspring.

Exploration 3

Wisconsin Fast Plant Genetics Lab

Explore 4

Punnett Squares

You will be able to predict the outcomes of

crosses by completing this next activity.

Explain

Mendel &
The Gene Idea

Mendel and Genetics

Answer the following questions as we

explain the concepts surrounding basic
genetic

It All Began with Mendel (FYI)

Gregor Mendel was born in 1822.

Called the Father of Genetics
Late 1800 chromosomes and the process of
meiosis were unknown.
Mendels work was considered obscure and
unimportant until 1900
Walter Sutton proposed the Chromosome Theory
and people began to listen to his ideas.
Chromosome Theory specific genes are
located on specific chromosomes

Three Conclusions to His Research

1.

Principle of Dominance and

Recessiveness
One allele in a pair may mask the effect of
the other

2.

Principle of Segregation
The two alleles for a characteristic separate
during the formation of eggs and sperm

3.

Principle of Independent
Assortment
The alleles for different characteristics are
distributed to reproductive cells
independently.

Mendelian genetics

Character
(heritable feature, i.e., fur color)
Trait
(variant for a character, i.e., brown)
True-bred
(all offspring of same variety)
Hybridization
(crossing of 2 different true-breds)
P generation (parents)
F1 generation (first filial generation)

Genetic vocabulary.

Punnett square:
Gene: point on a chromosome that
controls the trait
Allele: an alternate form of a gene
A or a
Homozygous: identical alleles for
a character
Heterozygous: different alleles for
a gene
Phenotype: physical traits
Genotype: genetic makeup
Testcross: breeding of a recessive
homozygote X dominate phenotype
(but unknown genotype)

How can the Chances of an Offsprings Traits

be Determined?

BY USING A PUNNETT SQUARE

Get out your Punnett Squares Problems
In groups of two come to the board and
complete the given monohybrid
problems.

Bb X Bb
B

B
B

B
b

Phenotypic Ratio
3:1
Genotypic Ratio
1:2:1

B
b

b
b

Exploration 4

What about two traits?

Complete the second half of your Punnett
Square Problems

What about 2 Traits?

BbTt x BbTt
The Gametes contain one
of each of the alleles. (BT).
Each of the offspring
contain four alleles exactly
like the parents.(BbTt).
Notice the number of
possible offspring has
increased.
The phenotypic ratio is
9:3:3:1

BbTt x BbTt
BT

Bt

bT

bt

BT

BBTT

BBTt

BbTT

BbTt

Bt

BBTt

BBtt

BbTt

Bbtt

bT

BbTT

BbTt

bbTT

bbTt

bt

BbTt

Bbtt

bbTt

bbtt

Exceptions to Mendels Rule

Incomplete Dominance

The phenotype of the

heterozygote is
intermediate between
those of the two
homozygotes.
Ex) Snap Dragon
Color

Red, Pink, White

Co-dominance

Phenotype of both
homozygotes are
produced in
heterozygotes
individuals.
Both alleles are
expressed equally.
Ex)Roan Cattle
White-feathered
birds are both
homozygotes for
both B and W alleles

Multiple Alleles

Ex )Blood type
Blood type A and B are co-dominant,
while O is recessive.
Forms possible blood types of A, B, AB,
and O.

Blood Also Shows Codominance

Sex-Determination

Chromosome pairs 1-22 are autosomes

Chromosome pair 23 are sex chromosomes
They determine the sex of an individual
XX = female
XY = male

Sex-Linked Inheritance

Traits that are only found on the X

chromosome
Colorblindness and Hemophilia are
examples of sex-linked traits.
These genes are recessive and found only
on the X chromosome.

Polygenic Inheritance

Inheritance pattern of a
trait that is controlled by
two or more genes.
Gene may be on the
same chromosome or on
different chromosomes.
Ex) Skin color and
Height

ELABORATION 1
Exceptions to the Rule
Punnet Squares: Dihybrid, Sex-Linked,
Multiple Alleles, Co-Dominance,
Incomplete Dominance

Elaboration 2

Whos the Parents?

Upon completion of this lab, you will:

determine the ABO blood types of two sets of
parents and two newborn children
examine the genetic relationships possible
between the parents and children
match the mixed up children with their proper
parents.