name: ____________________ period: ____ date: ____________

Pedigree Charts
Genetic Family Trees

Introduction
• pedigree charts are a great tool to look at a family’s genetic history over several generations
• they can predict the probability of a certain trait’s inheritance such as hair colour, baldness or a disease
• these charts also differentiate between occurrence of a phenotype or a person who is just a carrier
• pedigrees are also helpful in artificial selection

Step by Step Process

1. Define symbols.

Representation Visual Symbols

A ____________ represents a man.
A ____________ represents a woman.
Filled in shapes mean individuals are ______________.
Empty shapes mean they do not show the trait.
Carriers (not afflicted) are represented by a
____________________________.
A _____________ shows an unknown status/sex.
A straight horizontal line between a male and a female mean they are
_______________.
A vertical line descending from a couple represents the parents
_______________.
___________ numerals show generations.
Offspring are numbered in birth order. i.e II-1 and II-2
A slash through a shape represents a ____________ person.
______________ twins are shown by straight diagonal lines from parents
and a line between the twins.
______________ twins are shown by straight diagonal lines from parents
but no line between the twins.

2. Determine what/who’s trait you’re trying to solve for. Mr. and Mrs. Jones + descendants

ex. Think of a trait in your family that you’d like to track. Where would you
start? Who would you focus on? How many people would you have to gather
information from?

See the diagram on the right. Label the generations with roman numerals
and the offspring with numbers. Put a star beside Mr. and Mrs. Jones
youngest great granddaughter.
*don’t let the extra
colours fool you, this is
still shaded correctly*
name: ____________________ period: ____ date: ____________

3. Determine what letters you will use to specify traits.

Look back at the chart on the previous page. This shows the condition of Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD), a
recessive sex-linked disorder. Remember to show X and Y chromosomes when coming up with genotypes.

For this situation what letters will you use to represent the alleles with BMD and the ones without? with:
_________ and without: _________

4. Determine the parents’ genotypes.

What are Mr. and Mrs. Jones’ genotypes? _________ and _________ (write them on the pedigree chart)

What is their youngest granddaughter’s genotype? _________ (write on pedigree charts)

→ What is her husbands genotype? __________ (he is not afflicted)

5. Make a Punnett square, make gametes, complete the cross to determine offspring.

father’s genes What is the genotypic ratio?

mother’s genes

What is the phenotypic ratio?

6. Draw the pedigree chart.

Since the first few generations are already done, please expand
the chart. Start with the Jones’ youngest great granddaughter
and her husband. Her circle is filled in to represent that she has
BMD. The rest are left empty for you. (I-1 has BMD)

o draw lines and shapes

o make sure to add labels and a title

7. Fill in parent traits and offspring traits.

8. Repeat step 5-8 as needed per generation. use the pedigree chart above 

any additional space on the page can be

used for additional work/Punnett squares
name: ____________________ period: ____ date: ____________

9. Analyse the chart as needed to understand the family’s genetic history.

How many people in these six generations had BMD? If Becker muscular dystrophy affects 17 to 27 in a million
people, would you consider it common in this family? If so, why? Is it more common in males or females?
What is one main point or analysis that you learned from/discovered about this family? Explain in a short but
properly phrased paragraph.
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Extra Practice
In rabbits, gray hair is dominant over white hair. Cross a male rabbit with the homozygous trait for grey hair with
a female rabbit with the homozygous trait for white hair. They have four children, half girls and half boys.
Complete the steps to make a pedigree (on a sheet of lined paper).

Common Mistakes
✓ remember to put the dominant allele first (i.e. Aa not aA)
✓ for a sex-linked disorder show chromosome (i.e. XHXh instead of Hh)
✓ for incomplete dominance or co dominance do not use uppercase or lowercase letters to represent the
alleles (i.e. CRCW vs. Rr or Ww)

More Information & Work (optional)

Videos to Watch

• Pedigrees, by the Amoeba Sisters- https://youtu.be/Gd09V2AkZv4

• Heredity, by Crash Course- https://youtu.be/CBezq1fFUEA

Websites to Visit

• https://ib.bioninja.com.au/standard-level/topic-3-genetics/34-inheritance/pedigree-charts.html
• https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/5900/becker-muscular-
dystrophy#:~:text=Becker%20muscular%20dystrophy%20(BMD)%20is,ages%20of%205%20and%2015.

Questions to Solve

• pedigree multiple choice- https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-classical-genetics/hs-

pedigrees/e/hs-pedigrees
• pedigree chart worksheet- http://www.hamilton-
local.k12.oh.us/Downloads/Pedigree%20Practice%20Problems.pdf