The Different Non- Mendelian Genetics Description of Expected Outcome or Trait

Incomplete Dominance One allele is not completely dominant over the

other allele. For example, a brown coat rabbit
resulting from one parent with red
allele and other parent with white allele. How did
we come up with this trait? Simply because
incomplete dominance is a blending or
combination of the parent’s allele. So, the parent
with red allele combine with other parent with
white allele will result to an outcome or trait of a
brown coat rabbit.
Codominance Is a non-Mendelian pattern of inheritance in
which the hybrids show the phenotypic
characteristics of both alleles. For example, in
human blood type if a person had a blood type
AB the parents have an allele of blood type A and
the other is blood type B. This means that blood
type A and B cannot mask each other because
they are both a homozygous dominant trait. So,
the expected outcome or trait is 100% AB.
Multiple Alleles It is referring to a non-Mendelian inheritance
pattern that involves more than just the typical
two alleles that code for a certain characteristic.
There are several alleles in one trait. For example,
ABO blood types are influenced multiple alleles
namely, IA, IB, and i. Blood type A will have a
genotype of IA IA or IAi, the antigens produced is A,
whereas the antibodies produced is Anti- B, and
the safe transfusion are A, AB and A, O.
Polygenic Traits These are traits controlled by more than one
gene and thus, their inheritance can be
complicated. These traits show a very wide range
of phenotypes. For example, a human skin color,
height, weight, fingerprints, behavioral traits, and
more. In human skin color which will have 3 or
more alleles in human namely AAABBBCCCDDD-
which expresses super black skin, aaaBbbcccDdd-
brown skin, etc. This means that polygenic trait
has a lot of phenotypes (physical characteristics).
Epistasis This results when an allele of one gene hides or
masks the visible expression or phenotype of
another gene. It is entirely different from
dominant and recessive genes. For example, the
coat color in Labrador Retrievers is controlled by
two sets of alleles. The dominant gene E
determines whether the fur will have dark
pigment. Genotype ee will not have any pigment.
 The dominant B allele determines how dark the
pigment will be. A genotype of EEbb or Eebb will
result in a chocolate brown fur, while genotype of
eebb, eeBb, and eeBB will produce yellow coat
because the e allele masks the effects of the
dominant B allele.
Gene Linkage Is the tendency of DNA sequences that are close
together on a chromosome to be inherited
together during the meiosis phase of sexual
reproduction. These means that Mendel’s law
and principles does not apply to all cases. For
example, the genes for eye color and hair color
are linked, so some people have the same color
with their eyes and hair like some individuals
have brown eyes and brown hair. Simply because
they are inherited together.
Sex Linkage Is the phenotypic expression of an allele that is
dependent on the gender of the individual and is
directly tied to the sex chromosomes. For
example, color blindness and the individual with
higher chances of being color blind are boys
because they only have one X chromosome
compared to girls that have two X chromosomes.
The explanation to these is if the X chromosomes
of a boy carries the gene for color blindness then
he will become color blind. The girls have two X
chromosomes so the other one may carry the
gene for color blind and the other one will be a
normal one. It is because color blindness is a
recessive trait.