Chapter 26 ……Inheritance Of Traits
Students
should be able to:
·
Compare the number of chromosomes in sex cells and body cells
·
Distinguish between dominant and recessive genes
·
Describe how different gene combinations result from fertilization and how
traits are passed to offspring .
·
Discuss the purpose of a punnett square
·
Compare expected results and observed results.
·
Explain the importance of Gregor Mendel’s work
·
Solve genetic problems
Gregor Mendel's Contribution to the Subject of Inheritance
Mendel observed how specific traits of the
garden pea were transmitted from generation to generation. Mendel kept precise
records of the thousands of offspring (and their characteristics) produced in
his crosses. He then established mathematical probabilities and explanations to
validate his observations.
Although others had studied inheritance, Mendel's educational experiences in
math and observing plant variation helped him design and analyze his
experiments carefully. Mendel:
- Chose a good organism
that had a number of "true breeding" traits easy to observe.
- Designed the
experiments carefully. Mendel took plants from true breeding parents (P
generation) , to first generation (F1
hybrids), and then self-crossed the first generation offspring to form a
second generation (F2).
- Obtained large sample
sizes for good data analysis
Mendel's research led to the following conclusions, two of which are presented
as Mendel's Principles:
Mendel's Statements about Inheritance
- There are alternative
forms (or variations) of genes, the "units" that determine
inherited traits. The alternative forms of a gene are now called alleles.
To relate this to what we know about homologous chromosomes, the alleles
are located at the same locus on homologous chromosomes. (Specifically, we
inherit the alleles for a gene, not the gene).
- An individual will
have 2 alleles for each inherited trait. The 2 alleles may be the same, or
they may be different. If the two alleles are the same, the individual
will be homozygous for that trait. If the two alleles are
different, the individual will be heterozygous for the trait.
When the two alleles for a gene pair are different from each other, one
will be expressed, and the second will not affect the organism's
appearance. The allele always expressed is said to be dominant, and
the one that may not be expressed is recessive.
Note: These statements are true for the traits tested in Mendel's peas and
for many genes, but are not universally true. Many genes have alleles that
are equally expressed, as we shall see, and there are genes that have more
than 2 alleles within the population.
- Gametes have just one
allele for each trait, because the allele (gene) pairs are separated (or
segregated) during meiosis I when homologous chromosomes pair and then
separate. 50% of the gametes receive one allele and 50% of the gametes
receive the alternative allele when the alleles are heterozygous. (And as
Mendel proposed, fertilization results in restoring
the pairs of alleles for the next generation).
This statement ultimately resulted in Mendel's Principle of
Segregation: Pairs of genes segregate during the formation of gametes
(Meiosis), so that each gamete has one of each gene pair (one allele) but
not both. Fertilization restores the gene pairs (on the homologous
chromosomes).
Mendel demonstrated his Principle of Segregation with many monohybrid
crosses, looking at one characteristic at a time.
Some terms used in Mendelian Inheritance Tests
True Breeding
- A plant that produces
offspring with the same characteristics. The parental generation is
a true-breeding generation.
Cross Breeding
- A cross between
different parental types
- Offspring produced by
cross breeding are called Hybrids
F1 Generation
- The first generation
- Generally first
generation offspring are bred among themselves to produce the second
generation. In Mendel's pea plants they self-fertilized.
F2 Generation
- The second generation
- Mendelian
ratios are based on second generation results
Punnett
Square
- A method of visualizing
Inheritance crosses
Gene
- The physical unit of
heredity; the instructions for producing a specific characteristic or
trait. For example, the characteristic or gene may be flower color. The
alternative forms a gene can have would be the specific flower colors.
- Since diploid organisms
have two sets of chromosomes (the homologous chromosome pairs), most
"genes" are paired, often called the gene pair
Alleles
- The alternative forms
or variations a gene can have, such as brown or blue for eye color, or red
or white for flower color. The word trait is often used to describe the
specific alleles, but trait is also used to describe the gene, too.
- A diploid individual
will have two alleles for each gene locus.
- Within a population
there can be more than two alleles for a gene, but only two alleles will
be present in any one diploid individual.
Locus
- The region on a
chromosome where a gene is located.
- The alleles of a gene
are located at equivalent places (loci) on the homologous chromosomes
Homozygous
- The 2 alleles for a
gene are the same in an individual
Heterozygous
- The 2 alleles for a
gene are different in an individual
Dominant Allele (loosely and incorrectly called a dominant gene)
- An allele which is
always expressed, whether it is homozygous or
heterozygous.
- A dominant allele
masks or covers the expression of its alternative allele.
Recessive Allele
- An allele which is
masked by the presence of its alternative.
- A recessive allele
will be expressed only when it is homozygous, (when the dominant allele is
absent)
Phenotype
- The observable traits
of an individual
Genotype
- The specific genetic
makeup of an individual, or total combination of
alleles present, both those expressed and those not expressed.