Basic Genetics

Predicting the odds

Gregor Mendel
•9 Years

•Thousands of
Plants

•Research sat
around for 40
years before more
study was done on
the cell

•Father of
Genetics
 Tall Plants vs. Short Plants

Where did the short plant

come from?

Purebreds Hybrids : F1 F2 Generation

Created by Self- Generation Created by Self-
pollination Created by Cross- pollination of F1
pollination
 What did Mendel Learn?
THREE Principles:
• Traits are determined by a PAIR of factors
(now we know them as genes)
 Karotypes
Homologou Homologue
s Pair
 What did Mendel Learn?
THREE Principles:
• Traits are determined by a PAIR of factors
(now we know them as genes)
• Genes can be either DOMINANT or recessive
– DOMINANT genes means when two opposing
genes are present, it is the trait that is expressed
– Recessive means it is the trait that is hidden or
masked by the other gene, not expressed
 What did Mendel Learn?
THREE Principles:
• Traits are determined by a PAIR of factors
(now we know them as genes)
• Genes can be either DOMINANT or recessive
• Each gamete (sex cell) has only 1 gene for
each characteristic
 Genetics in Symbolic Terms
• Genotype: Genes available from each parent,
represented by a letter that relates to the
characteristic (ex: T is for tall, t is for short)
• Three types of genotypes:
– TT purebred, homozygous dominant
– Tt hybrid, heterozygous
– tt purebred, homozygous recessive
 Genetics in Symbolic Terms
• Phenotype: The physical characteristic that is
observed (remember Principle #2)
• Genotypes Phenotypes
– TT homozygous dominant Tall
– Tt heterozygous Tall (t is masked)
– tt homozygous recessive Short
 PUNNETT SQUARE
• The tool for genetics: Shows the POSSIBILITY
of gene combinations between what the
parent cell could donate to the daughter cell

Parent Genotype
Parent Genotype

Possible Combinations are

written in these boxes
Pure Tall Plant (TT) vs. Pure Short Plant (tt)

T T

t Tt Tt
t Tt Tt
Pure Tall Plant (TT) vs. Pure Short Plant (tt)

T T

t Tt Tt
t Tt Tt
All the same genotypes of Tt, All the same phenotype
of tall plants
 Pure Tall Plants vs. Pure Short Plants

Purebreds F1 Generation
Created by Self- Created by Cross-
pollination pollination
Hybrid Tall Plant (Tt) vs. Hybrid Tall Plant (Tt)

T t

T TT Tt
t Tt tt
Genotypes = 1 TT Phenotype = 3 tall plants and 1 short plant 2 Tt
1 tt
Hybrid Tall Plants Self-Pollinating

F1 Generation F2 Generation
Created by Cross- Created by Self-
pollination pollination of F1
 Where did the short plant come from?
• The short gene was masked by the tall gene in
the hybrid plants.
• The short gene was not observable until the cell
inherited two recessive genes

CONCLUSION = Punnett Squares are useful tools to

help predict what type of traits will be observable