What is Genetics?

Genetics is the scientific study of

heredity
What is a Trait?
A trait is a specific characteristic that
varies from one individual to another.
Examples: Brown hair, blue eyes, tall, curly
What is an Allele?
Alleles are the
different possibilities for
a given trait.
Every trait has at least
two alleles (one from the Examples of Alleles:
A = Brown Eyes
mother and one from the a = Blue Eyes
father) B = Green Eyes
b = Hazel Eyes
Example: Eye color –
Brown, blue, green, hazel
What are Genes?
Genes are the
sequence of DNA
that codes for a
protein and thus
determines a
trait.
Gregor Mendel
Father of Genetics
1st important studies of
heredity
Identified specific traits in the garden pea
and studied them from one generation to
another
 Mendel’s
Conclusions
1. Law of Segregation – Two alleles for each
trait separate when gametes form; Parents
pass only one allele for each trait to each
offspring
2.Law of Independent Assortment – Genes
for different traits are inherited
independently of each other
Dominant vs. Recessive
Dominant - Masks the other trait; the trait
that shows if present
Represented by a capital letter R
Recessive – An organism with a recessive
allele for a particular trait will only exhibit that
trait when the dominant allele is not present;
Will only show if both alleles are present
Represented by a lower case letter r
Dominant & Recessive Practice
T – straight hair
t - curly hair

TT - Represent offspring with straight hair

Tt - Represent offspring with straight hair
tt - Represents offspring with curly hair
Genotype vs. Phenotype
Genotype – The genetic makeup of an organism;
The gene (or allele) combination an organism has.
Example: Tt, ss, GG, Ww
Phenotype – The physical characteristics of an
organism; The way an
organism looks
Example: Curly hair,
straight hair, blue eyes,
tall, green
Homozygous vs. Heterozygous
Homozygous – Term used to
refer to an organism that has RR
two identical alleles for a
particular trait (TT or tt) rr
Heterozygous - Term used to
refer to an organism that has
two different alleles for the same
Rr
trait (Tt)
Punnett Squares
Punnett Square – Diagram showing the
gene combinations that might result from a
genetic cross
Used to calculate the
probability of inheriting
a particular trait
Probability – The chance
that a given event will
occur
Punnett Square
Parent

Parent Offspring
How to Complete a Punnett Square
 Y-Yellow
y-white

Genotype:
1:2:1
(YY:Yy:yy)

Phenotype:
3 Yellow
1 White
You Try It Now!
Give the genotype and phenotype for the following
cross: TT x tt (T = Tall and t = Short)
 TT x tt
Step One: Set Up Punnett Square (put one parent on the top
and the other along the side)

T T
t

t
 TT x tt
Step Two: Complete the Punnett Square

T T
t Tt Tt

t Tt Tt
 TT x tt
Step Three: Write the genotype and phenotype

T T
Genotype:
t Tt Tt 4 - Tt

t Tt Tt Phenotype:
100% Tall

Remember: Each box is 25%

You Try It Now!
Give the genotype and phenotype for the following
cross: Tt x tt
 Tt x tt
Step One: Set Up Punnett Square (put one parent on the top
and the other along the side)

T t
t

t
 Tt x tt
Step Two: Complete the Punnett Square

T t
t Tt tt

t Tt tt
 Tt x tt
Step Two: Complete the Punnett Square

Genotype:
T t
Tt - 2 (50%)
t Tt tt tt - 2 (50%)

t Tt tt Phenotype:
50% Tall
50% Short
Remember: Each box is 25%
 Some Terminology
P1 – Original parents
F1 – First generation
F2 – Second generation

P1 X P1 = F1
F1 X F1 = F2
Incomplete Dominance
Incomplete Dominance - Situation in
which one allele is not completely
dominant over another.
Example – Red and
white flowers are
crossed and pink
flowers are produced.
Codominance
Codominance - Situation in which both
alleles of a gene contribute to the phenotype
of the organism.
Example – A solid white cow is crossed with a solid
brown cow and the resulting offspring are spotted
brown and white (called roan).


+
Multiple Alleles
Multiple Alleles- Three or more alleles
of the same gene.
Even though three or more alleles exist for a
particular trait, an individual can only have
two alleles - one from the mother and one
from the father.
Examples of Multiple Alleles
1. Coat color in rabbits is determined by a
single gene that has at least four
different alleles. Different combinations
of alleles result in the four colors you see
here.
Examples of Multiple Alleles
2. Blood Type – 3 alleles
exist (IA, IB, and i),
which results in four
different possible blood
types
3. Hair Color – Too many
alleles exist to count
 There are over 20
different shades of
hair color.
Multiple Alleles
There Are Always Multiple Alleles!
Genetic inheritance is often presented with
straightforward examples involving only two alleles
with clear-cut dominance. This makes inheritance
patterns easy to see.
But very few traits actually only have two alleles with
clear-cut dominance. As we learn more about
genetics, we have found that there are often
hundreds of alleles for any particular gene.
 We probably know this already - as we look around at
other people, we see infinite variation.
Polygenic Trait
Polygenic Trait - Trait
controlled by two or more
genes.
Polygenic traits often show a
wide range of phenotypes.
Example: The wide range of
skin color in humans comes
about partly because more
than four different genes
probably control this trait.