History of Genetics

Gregor Johann Mendel- Augustinian friar,

described what came to be known as Mendelian
Inheritance.

In 1900 marked the "rediscovery of Mendel" by

Hugo de Vries, Carl Correns and Erich von
Tschermak,

by 1915 the basic principles of Mendelian

genetics had been applied to a wide variety of
organisms
In the 18th century, with increased knowledge of
plant and animal diversity and the accompanying
increased focus on taxonomy,
In the early 19th century, Augustin Sageret
established the concept of dominance
1869 Friedrich Miescher discovers a weak acid
in the nuclei of white blood cells that today we
call DNA

1880-1890 Walther Flemming, Eduard

Strasburger, and Edouard van Beneden
elucidate chromosome distribution during cell
division

1903 Walter Sutton hypothesizes that

chromosomes, which segregate in a
Mendelian fashion, are hereditary units.
1910 Thomas Hunt Morgan shows that genes
reside on chromosomes

1913 Alfred Sturtevant makes the first genetic

map of a chromosome

1928 Frederick Griffith discovers that

hereditary material from dead bacteria can be
incorporated into live bacteria

1933 Jean Brachet is able to show that DNA is

found in chromosomes and that RNA is
present in the cytoplasm of all cells.
Genetics-is the study of the genetic composition,
heredity, and variation of organisms.
Cyto genetics - Branch of genetics that studies the
organization and arrangement of genes and
chromosomes by using the techniques of
microscopy
Heredity- passing of traits to offspring from its
parents or ancestors
gene -is the basic structural and functional unit of
genetics.
-is a string of chemical subunits(nucleotide) in a
DNA molecule.
 Properties of a gene

 Replicate
 Mutate
 Can be switched on or off
 Can move from one chromosome to another
DNA molecule
 Variations

• The basic quality of living organisms

• Similarities (Species Characteristics)
• Differences (Individual Characteristics)

• Provides the raw materials for

adaptation
 VARIATIONS

PHENOTYPE – various observable features by

which we recognize the organism
GENOTYPE – type of genes or hereditary
material in the organism
PHENOCOPIES – environmental alterations of
phenotype
Ex. Straightening of curly hair
 TYPES OF VARIATIONS

MORPHOLOGICAL or STRUCTURAL
1. Physical traits or gross anatomical features
Ex:
shape of the face, ears, eyes
color of the eyes, hair,
 TYPES OF VARIATIONS

2. Cellular, Subcellular and Molecular traits

Ex:
Kind of hemoglobin in the RBC
Kind of glycoproteins on the cell membrane
Kind of DNA
 TYPES OF VARIATIONS

PHYSIOLOGICAL or FUNCTIONAL
•Biochemical and biophysical processes
Ex: 1. inability to absorb glucose
2. inability to distinguish colors
3. failure to perform photosynthesis
4. inability to synthesize certain amino acid
 TYPES OF VARIATIONS

BEHAVIORAL
•The combined structural and physiological traits
•Pattern of reactions to its environment
Ex. IQ
Mental retardation
Tolerance level
 TYPES OF VARIATIONS

SEXUAL
•The most important phenotypic
characteristics of an organism
•Capacity for reproduction together with
the features associated with it
 TYPES OF SEXUAL VARIATIONS

Primary Sexual Traits – differences in external

genitalia and gonads
Secondary Sexual Traits – non-sexual but related
to mating and rearing of youngs
-developed breast in human female
-smaller body of male frogs
 Other TYPES OF VARIATIONS

• CONTINUOUS VARIATION:
- when the characteristic varies in small
amounts between individuals
- height
- weight
 TYPES OF VARIATIONS

• DISCONTINUOUS VARIATION
- when there are no one in-between
Ex. Tongue-rolling
Sex

http://biologyataglance.wikispaces.com
Variations in Man
Variations in Man

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Variations in Animal
Variations in Animal
Variations in Plants
Variations in Plants
 CAUSES OF VARIATION
1. Genes (Inherited)
- sex determination
- mental retardation
- infant deformities
2. Environment (Acquired)
- physical deformities
- obesity