HEREDITY

Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) is considered the father of genetics.

He performed a series of breeding experiments in pea plants and was the first to
systematically analyze the inheritance of biological traits.

In his experiments, he crossed pea plants (Pisum sativum) and numerically analyzed
how their traits were passed on to offpring.

FIRST EXPERIMENT:

He crossed two different purebed plants for one of the traits:

The colour of the seeds : Yellow……..A
Green ……..a

Parental generation :yellow x green

AA aa
Gametes …………. A a
↘ Aa ↙
F1 generation Yellow (100%)

* Law of dominance:
If two different purebeds are crossed, the offspring of the F1 generation will all have
the same form of the trait.
This form is dominant over the other, which is recessive.

SECOND EXPERIMENT:

He crossed two individuals of the F1 generation, that are hybrid, that is the contrary
of purebed:

F1 generation : yellow x yellow

Aa Aa

Offspring (F2)
 * Law of segregation:

Each trait is defined by two factors that separate during the formation of
gametes.

Each gamete only has one factor of the trait, and this is determined by chance.

Fertilization produces an individual with a new pair of factors for each trait, each
inherited from a different parent.

IMPORTANT CONCEPTS:

PUREBRED = HOMOZYGOUS : They are individuals with two identical factors for
one trait: Yellow AA Green aa

HYBRID = HETEROZYGOUS: They are individuals with two different factors for
one trait: Yellow Aa

GENOTYPE: It is the group of factors that an individual has for a trait.

FENOTYPE: It is the physical expression of a trait.

Phenotypes yellow x yellow

Genoptypes Aa Aa

Gametes

Genotypes
Phenotypes

Today, the Mendelian factors determining inherited traits are called genes.
An ALLELE is each of the forms that a gene can take. For example:
The gen that determines the colour of the pea´s seeds has two alleles: the yellow
(dominant) and the green (recessive).
THIRD EXPERIMENT:

In this case, Mendel wondered whether each inherited trait was independent from
the others, or whether they were passed on linked together.

To find out, Mendel repeated the crosses of the previous experiments, but this
time he observed the inheritance of two traits at the same time.

Trait 1 : colour of the seed Yellow (A) > Green (a)

Trait 2: shape of the seed Round (L) > Wrinkled (l)

He crosses two purebed plants for the two traits:

(Phenotypes) Yellow Round X Green Wrinkled

(Genotypes) AA LL aa ll

(Gametes) AL al

(Genotype ´s offspring) AaLl

(phenotype´s offspring) Yellow Round

After that, he crosses individuals from this F1, both hybrid for the two traits:

Yellow Round x Yellow Round

AaLl AaLl

AL AL
Gametes Al Al
aL aL
al al

To see the possible combinations in the offspring, we will make a Punnett Square:
 Male ……..>
Female AL Al aL al
|
AL AALL AALl AaLL AaLl
Yellow round Yellow round Yellow round Yellow round
Al AALl AAll AaLl Aall
Yellow round Yellow wrinkle Yellow round Yellow wrinkle
aL AaLL AaLl aaLL aaLl
Yellow round Yellow round Green round Green round
al AaLl Aall aaLl aall
Yellow round Yellow wrinkle Green round Green wrinkle

Phenotypes: 9/16 Yellow round

3/16 Yellow wrinkled
3/16 Green round
1/16 Green wrinkled

These results correspond to the fact that when reproducing, each parent passed
one of its factors for each inherited trait through its gametes.

Fertilization produces an offspring that we could predict with a Punnett square.