Mendelian Genetics

Module 6
Learning Objectives
• Predict the genotypes and phenotypes
of parents and their offspring using
Mendel’s laws of inheritance
• Explain the principles of dominance,
segregation, and independent
assortment
 Genetics
The scientific study of genes
and how they affect heredity.
GREGOR JOHANN MENDEL

 an Austrian monk,
teacher and biologist.
Known for his garden
pea experiments and
the father of modern
genetics.
 Formulates the laws of
inheritance.
 Genes
• A gene is a piece of DNA consisting
of many nucleotides that codes for
some gene product.
Pea Plant (pisum sativum)
 Rationale
1. The pea plants generated large
numbers of seeds.
2. Mendel noticed that his pea plants
had relatively shorter generation.
3. Mendel found that his pea plants had
easily observable and distinctive
characteristics.
 Important terms in genetics
Term Meaning
Allele One of two or more alternative forms of a gene

Dominant trait Trait that is expressed

F1 generation “first filial” or first generation of offspring

F2 generation Generation produced by interbreeding individuals of the F1 generation

Gamete Reproductive or sex cell

Genotype Genetic composition of an individual

Heterozygous Organisms that have two different alleles for the same trait (ex.: Tt - hybrid of a
certain trait)
Homozygous Organisms that have two identical alleles for a particular trait [ex. TT
(homozygous dominant and tt (homozygous recessive)]
Phenotype Observable characteristics of an individual

Punnett square Diagram used to predict an outcome of a particular cross or breeding

experiment
Recessive trait Trait that is masked in the presence of a dominant trait
Punnett Square
• Diagram used to
predict an outcome of
a particular cross or
breeding experiment.
Dominant trait
• Trait that is
expressed.
Recessive trait
• Trait that is masked in
the presence of a
dominant trait.
Mendel’s experiment

 F1 generation- “first filial” or

first generation of offspring

 F2 generation- generation
produced by interbreeding
individuals of the F1
generation
Rule of Thumb of Mendelian Genetics

1. A recessive trait will only be

expressed if the offspring has two
copies of the recessive allele that
codes for the trait(homozygous
recessive, aa).
2. A dominant trait will always
be expressed in the offspring if
the dominant allele is present,
even if there is only one copy of it
(heterozygous or homozygous
dominant, Aa or AA).
Male Vs. Female Gametes
 Gamete- reproductive or sex cell
• Gametes are haploid, it contains only
one allele of each gene

• The two alleles of each gene separate

into different haploid nuclei during
meiosis
 Phenotype – observable characteristics of an
individual.
 Genotype – genetic composition of an individual.
 Heterozygous- organisms that have two
different alleles for the same trait.
 Homozygous- organisms that have
two identical allele for a particular trait.
PROBABILITY OF GENETICS
• Probability is the branch of mathematics
that explains the likelihood that a
particular event will occur.
Mendel’s Crosses
MONOHYBRID CROSS
• the cross between parents
that differ in one contrasting
trait.
Example:
The allele that codes for a yellow-colored flower (D) is dominant
over the allele that codes for green-colored flower (d). Both
parents contain heterozygous alleles that code for a yellow-
colored flower.
 DIHYBRID CROSS
 a cross between two different
lines that differ in two observed
trait.
Example:
Each parent has two sets of genes, with each gene
containing alleles for hair color and eye color. For the hair
color, the allele for black hair (A) is dominant over the allele
for blonde hair
(a). For the eye color, the allele for brown eyes (B) is
dominant over the allele for blue eyes
(b). A father has black hair (Aa) and brown eyes (Bb), and
the mother has black hair (Aa) and brown eyes too (Bb).
Both are heterozygous for the two traits.

What are the phenotypic and genotypic ratios?

 AB Ab aB ab

AB AABB AABb AaBB AaBb

(black hair & (black hair & (black hair & (black hair &
brown eyes) brown eyes) brown eyes) brown eyes)

Ab AABb Aabb AaBb Aabb

(black hair & (black hair & blue (black hair & (black hair & blue
brown eyes) eyes) brown eyes) eyes)

aB AaBB AaBb aaBB aaBb

(black hair & (black hair & (blonde hair & (blonde hair &
brown eyes) brown eyes) brown eyes) brown eyes)

ab AaBb Aabb aaBb aabb

(black hair & (black hair & blue (blonde hair & (blonde hair &
brown eyes) eyes) brown eyes) blue eyes)

Genotypic Ratio: 1 AABB : 2 AABb : 1 AAbb : 2 AaBB : 4 AaBb : 2

Aabb : 1 aaBB : 2 aaBb : 1 aabb

Phenotypic Ratio: 9 black hair & brown eyes : 3 black hair & blue eyes :
3 blonde hair and brown eyes : 1 blonde hair and blue eyes (9:3:3:1)
MENDEL’S LAW OF
INHERITANCE
(LAW OF SEGREGATION, LAW OF INDEPENDENT
ASSORTMENT, & LAW OF DOMINANCE)
 1. LAW OF SEGREGATION

• Describes what happens to the

alleles during the formation of
gametes. According to this law, an
individual has a pair of alleles for
each trait.
 2. LAW OF INDEPENDENT
ASSORTMENT

• States that alleles segregate

independently during the formation of
gametes.
• The genes do not influence one another
on how they sorted.
• This law can be represented by
Mendel’s dihybrid experiment.
 3.LAW OF DOMINANCE
• A trait is said to be dominant if it
expressed in spite of the presence
of another allele.
• The law of dominance states that
some alleles are dominant,
whereas others are recessive.