Name: Dator, Hannah Mae S.

Year: BSE SCI 2 Date: 01/02/23

Sex Linked Traits

Sex-Linked Traits

Sex-linked traits are the traits or characteristics that are influenced by genes that are
carried by the sex chromosomes. If you are male, you will have XY chromosomes while on the
other hand you will have XX chromosomes if you are female. Males are most likely to be
affected by sex-linked traits because they only have one X chromosome. On the other hand,
females typically carried X-linked traits but it is not expressed on their own phenotype because it
is masked by the other X chromosome that they have. For example, Hemophilia is an example
recessive sex-linked trait. Since it is found in the X chromosome that male only have one, they
have a greater chance of having hemophilia.

In this situation, a Hemophiliac man has children with a woman who is also a carrier of the trait.
Lets see what is the probability of them having a child with hemophilia and also the probability of
their daughter being a carrier.

H- normal h- Hemophilia

Xh Y
XH XHXh XHY
Xh XhXh XhY

Genotype:XHXh, XHY, XhXh, XY

Genotypic ratio: 1:1:1:1

Phenotype: F carrier 25%, F hemophilia 25%, M normal 25%, M hemophilia 25%

Phenotypic Ratio: 1:1:1:1

Sex-influenced Traits

Sex-influenced traits are characteristics that are present on an autosome but are
impacted by sex, more specifically by sex hormones. These characteristics may be present in
both male and female but sex will influence these characteristics by the degree and frequency
of phenotypic expression. These characteristics will act depending on the sex.The other one will
be dominant and the other one will be recessive. An example of this is the baldness pattern.
Baldness is dominant in male because of the presence of sex hormones of male called
testosterone. Although they can occur in females, it is more often in male.

Sex-limited traits

Sex-limited traits are simply the characteristics that are present in both sexes but it is
only expressed physically in one sex and is not expressed in the other one. This is because the
appropriate hormonal determiner or activator is present on the other gender and is absent on
the other one. An example of this is the beard growth in humans. Beard growth is more limited
in male than in females because male hair follicles in their jaws react aggressively to their
hormones called testosterone.