General Biology 1/2

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Try It!

Jane married Paul, who has a certain genetic

condition that runs in his family. They had three
children. Their first child, a boy named Marco, does
not have the condition. However, their second and
third children, Rica and Angela, both have the
condition. Later on, Angela married Dexter. They
have five children, the first child being a girl named
Roxi. The rest are boys, the last two being affected
by the condition. Construct a pedigree of their
family and analyze the mode of inheritance of the
trait.
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Lesson 1.4
Sex Linkage and Recombination

General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Is the red or
green color that
you see similar
to that of what
other people
see?
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If you can
determine the
numbers in this
Ishihara chart,
you do not
belong to the
small population
of people who
are color-blind.
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How do people acquire this
trait? Why is it more common in
males than in females?

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Learning Competency
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

Explain sex linkage and recombination

(STEM_BIO11/12-IIIa-b-2).

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 Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Describe how sex-linked traits are inherited.

● Calculate the probability of the occurrence of a

sex-linked trait.

● Give examples of other sex-related traits.

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Unlike you, your biological
brother has a widow’s peak and
a cleft chin. If your genes are
inherited from the same
parents, why do you look
different?

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Recombination

Replication produces another copy of chromosomes.

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 Recombination

Homologous Recombination in Meiosis

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 Recombination

Homologous Recombination in Meiosis

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 Recombination

Homologous Recombination in Meiosis

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 Recombination

Homologous Recombination in Meiosis

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 Recombination

Recombination increases genetic diversity. This is the

reason why you and your sibling look different even if
your genes are inherited from the same parents.

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How are sex-linked traits
inherited?

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 Sex Linkage

Human Chromosomes
● The 1st to 22nd pairs
are called the
autosomes, and the
23rd pair is termed as
the sex chromosome.

A human karyotype
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 Sex Linkage

Human Chromosomes
● Genes that go along
with either sex
chromosome are said
to be sex-linked.

A human karyotype
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 Sex Linkage

Human Chromosomes
● When the trait is linked
to the X chromosome,
it is called an X-linked
trait.

● If the trait is linked to

the Y chromosome, it is
called a Y-linked trait. Human sex chromosomes
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Your female friend does not
exhibit a sex-linked trait but her
brother does. What can possibly
account for this?

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 Sex Linkage

X-linked Trait
● The X-linked trait is
more common in
males than in females.

Pedigree chart of the inheritance of an

X-linked disorder
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 Sex Linkage

X-linked Trait
● Even if the mother is
just a carrier of the
trait and the father is
normal, there is still a
possibility that they
will have an offspring
with an X-linked trait.
Pedigree chart of the inheritance of an
X-linked disorder
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 Sex Linkage

X-linked Trait
● Generally, males
have a 1/2 or 50%
chance (50% chance
of being normal or
50% chance of
possessing the X-
linked trait) to
Pedigree chart of the inheritance of an
express the trait. X-linked disorder
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 Sex Linkage

X-linked Trait
● Females only have 1/3 or
33.3% chance (33.3%
chance of being normal,
33.3% chance of being a
carrier, and 33.3%
chance of manifesting
the X-linked trait) of
Pedigree chart of the inheritance of an
acquiring the trait. X-linked disorder
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Abby is wearing a blue shirt, but
she insists that it is red. How is
this possible?

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 Sex Linkage

Color Blindness Is an X-
linked Trait
● Colorblindness is the
inability to distinguish
certain colors.

● The Ishihara chart is Eight Ishihara charts are available for

used as a test for color testing color blindness.

blindness.
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What are the numbers shown here?

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How can color-blind people
cross a pedestrian lane safely if
they cannot distinguish which is
red, green, or yellow on the
stoplight?

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 Sex Linkage

Hemophilia is an X-linked
Trait
● Hemophilia is a rare
inherited bleeding
disorder.
● People with this condition
bleed longer after an
injury as compared to a
A healthy and hemophilic
normal person. person’s response to hemorrhage
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 Sex Linkage

Y-linked Trait
● The Y-linked trait is only common in males since only
males have the Y chromosome.

● An example is the hypertrichosis pinnae auris trait,

which is characterized by having a hairy ear.

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Why is sex-related inheritance
not following Mendel’s laws?

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 Sex Linkage

Possible color blindness genotypes and phenotypes of males and females

Female
Male
Genotypes Phenotypes
Genotypes Phenotypes
XX Normal
XX Normal
XCX Carrier
XCY Color-blind
XX
C C
Color-blind

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 Sex Linkage

Sex-Related Inheritance
● As opposed to Mendelian inheritance wherein the
heterozygous genotype expresses the dominant trait,
the heterozygous genotype of an X-linked trait in
females will result in a carrier female.

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 Let’s Practice!

Anna, who is a carrier for hemophilia, marries Juan, a

man without hemophilia. Identify the phenotype of
their possible offspring.

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 Let’s Practice!

Anna, who is a carrier for hemophilia, marries Juan, a

man without hemophilia. Identify the phenotype of
their possible offspring.

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 Let’s Practice!

Anna, who is a carrier for hemophilia, marries Juan, a

man without hemophilia. Identify the phenotype of
their possible offspring.

The possible trait of the female offspring is 50%

normal, 50% carrier. If the offspring is male, the
chances are 50% hemophiliac and 50% normal.

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Try It!

Identify the phenotype of the possible

offspring of a color-blind woman
married to a man with normal vision.

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Try It!

Identify the phenotype of the possible

offspring of a color-blind woman
married to a man with normal vision.

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 Let’s Practice!

Marie, a single mom, claimed that John was the

father of her child. John denied it, claiming that
Marie’s current boyfriend was the father. Marie is
color-blind, while John has normal vision, and the
daughter is color-blind. Is it possible that he is the
father?

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 Let’s Practice!

Marie, a single mom, claimed that John was the

father of her child. John denied it, claiming that
Marie’s current boyfriend was the father. Marie is
color-blind, while John has normal vision, and the
daughter is color-blind. Is it possible that he is the
father?

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 Let’s Practice!

Marie, a single mom, claimed that John was the

father of her child. John denied it, claiming that
Marie’s current boyfriend was the father. Marie is
color-blind, while John has normal vision, and the
daughter is color-blind. Is it possible that he is the
father?

If Marie is color-blind and John has normal vision,

they cannot have a daughter who is color-blind.

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 Let’s Practice!

Marie, a single mom, claimed that John was the

father of her child. John denied it, claiming that
Marie’s current boyfriend was the father. Marie is
color-blind, while John has normal vision, and the
daughter is color-blind. Is it possible that he is the
father?

Based on the Punnett square, the phenotype of the

possible offspring if John is the father is carrier
females and color-blind males.
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Try It!

Someone removed the ID bracelets of four

babies in a maternity ward. The parents
want to be sure that they have the right
ones back. A particular dad is hemophilic,
while his wife is normal. The first baby is a
hemophilic female; the second is a normal
female; the third is a hemophilic male, and
the fourth is a normal male. Which baby
must be theirs? Explain.
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Try It!

Someone removed the ID bracelets of four

babies in a maternity ward. The parents
want to be sure that they have the right
ones back. A particular dad is hemophilic,
while his wife is normal. The first baby is a
hemophilic female; the second is a normal
female; the third is a hemophilic male, and
the fourth is a normal male. Which baby
must be theirs? Explain.
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 Let’s Practice!

There was a man who was acting strangely at a

restaurant, so the police were called in. When the
police arrived, they noticed that the man was with a
young girl. The man claims that he is the girl’s father,
but the girl is too young or too afraid to answer
questions. The young girl is color-blind, and the man
has a normal vision. Is he telling the truth that he is
the father?

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 Let’s Practice!

There was a man who was acting strangely at a restaurant, so

the police were called in. When the police arrived, they noticed
that the man was with a young girl. The man claims that he is
the girl’s father, but the girl is too young or too afraid to answer
questions. The young girl is color-blind, and the man has a
normal vision. Is he telling the truth that he is the father?

It is not possible that the man is the father of the young

girl, since whatever the genotype of the mother, it is
impossible to have a color-blind daughter if the father
has normal vision.
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Try It!
The mother of a baby girl died shortly
after giving birth. The girl grew up
without knowing her biological father.
This led her to hire a detective to locate
her father. If the mother is a carrier of
hemophilia, and the girl is hemophilic,
what characteristics of the father
should the girl expect from the
detective’s report?
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 Sex Linkage

Sex-influenced Trait
● Sex-influenced traits
are controlled by
autosomal genes.
● The genes are found on
both sexes, but one
expresses it more than
the other. Human pattern baldness is a sex-
influenced characteristic.
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 Sex Linkage

Possible baldness genotypes and phenotypes of males and females.

Female Male

Genotypes Phenotypes Genotypes Phenotypes

BB Bald BB Bald

Bb Non-bald Bb Bald

bb Non-bald bb Non-bald

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 Sex Linkage

Sex-limited Trait
● Sex-limited traits are also
controlled by autosomal
genes.
● The genes are also found on
both sexes, but only one sex
expresses it.

Lactation is a
female-limited trait. 50
 Sex Linkage

Possible lactation trait genotypes and phenotypes of males and

females.

Female Male

Genotypes Phenotypes Genotypes Phenotypes

RR Lactating RR Not lactating

Rr Lactating Rr Not lactating

rr Not lactating rr Not lactating

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 Check Your Understanding

Identify if the following statements describe X-linked, Y-

linked, sex-limited, or sex-influenced inheritance. Put a
checkmark on the appropriate column.
Statement X-linked Y-linked Sex-limited Sex-influenced

1. Genes are found on the X chromosome.

2. An example of this is the lactation trait.

3. Traits are expressed more frequently in

one sex than in the other.

4. Traits are expressed exclusively in one

sex.

5. An example of this is the hypertrichosis

pinnae auris trait. 52
 Check Your Understanding

Compute for the probability of the indicated offspring

given the parental genotypes or phenotypes.

1. a color-blind daughter from a normal father and a carrier

mother
2. a color-blind son from a normal father and a carrier
mother
3. a normal son from a normal father and a genetically
normal mother
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Challenge Yourself

Why are X-linked traits more

common in males than in females?

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Challenge Yourself

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Challenge Yourself

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Recombination is a mechanism where the

homologous pairs of chromosomes exchange genes.

● Sex linkage is termed as such because their

phenotypic manifestation and inheritance patterns
vary between males and females. Therefore, genes
that go along with either sex chromosome are said to
be sex-linked.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● When the trait is linked to the X chromosome, it is

called an X-linked trait while if the trait is linked to
the Y chromosome, it is called a Y-linked trait.

● As opposed to Mendelian inheritance wherein the

heterozygous genotype expresses the dominant trait,
the heterozygous genotype of an X-linked trait in
females will result in a carrier female.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Other sex-related traits are the sex-influenced and

sex-limited traits.
○ Sex-influenced traits can be found in both sexes
but expressed more in one sex than in the other.
○ Sex-limited traits have genes that can be found
in both sexes but only one sex expresses it on
their phenotype.

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 Photo Credit
● Slide 2: Color Blind Envelope, by Gwynhaden is
licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
● Slide 20–21:
Eight Ishihara charts for testing colour blindness, by
Wellcome Images is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via
Wikimedia Commons.
Bibliography
Johnson, G.B., and Raven, P.H. 2001. Biology: Principles &
Explorations. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.
Klug, W.S., Spencer, C.A., and Cummings, M.R. 2016. Concepts
of Genetics. Boston: Pearson.
Mader, S.S. 2014. Concepts of Biology. New York: McGraw-Hill
Education.
Reece, J.B. and Campbell, N.A. 2011. Campbell Biology. Boston:
Benjamin Cummings/Pearson.
Starr, Cecie, Ralph Taggart, Christine A. Evers, and Lisa Starr.
Biology: the Unity and Diversity of Life. Boston, MA:
Cengage, 2019.
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