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Practice with Punnett Squares

For more information about dog traits, visit Mutt Mixer [learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/change/
muttmixer/]

A. Genotype and phenotype

Living things with two parents have two alleles for each gene.

• Genotype = an individual’s allele combination

• Phenotype = the visible trait that the alleles cause

EXAMPLE
A gene in peas affects plant height. Different combinations of two alleles (T and t) can make a plant
tall or short.

Genotype (allele combination) Phenotype (visible trait)

TT tall
Tt tall
tt short

PRACTICE
1. A gene in dogs makes their coat furnished or smooth. There are
two alleles for this gene. In Mutt Mixer, the alleles are shown as
pictures. Another way to represent the alleles is with the letters
F and f. Furnished (F) Smooth (f)

Fill in the table. (Tip: Use Mutt Mixer to input the phenotype and see the genotype)

Genotype (allele combination) Phenotype (visible trait)

FF
Ff
ff

2. If you know an individual’s genotype, you can predict its phenotype. But this doesn’t always work
in the reverse. That’s because for some phenotypes, there is more than one possible genotype.

Fill in the table.

Phenotype All Possible Genotypes

furnished
smooth

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B. Dominant and Recessive inheritance

Some traits follow predictable inheritance patterns. For example, for pea height, tall (T) is dominant,
and short (t) is recessive. All that means is this:

• Dominant: it takes one T allele to cause the tall phenotype, no matter what the other allele is
• Recessive: it takes two t alleles to cause the short phenotype

PRACTICE
3. A gene in pea plants affects seed color. Circle the best answers:

a. It takes two y alleles to cause the green phenotype. y is ( dominant / recessive )

b. It takes one Y allele to cause the yellow phenotype. Y is ( dominant / recessive )

4. In dogs, furnishings is a dominant trait. What’s another example from Mutt Mixer of a dominant
trait?

C. Co-dominant inheritance
When a trait is co-dominant, both of an individual’s alleles are visible in its phenotype. (This is
sometimes called incomplete dominance.)

EXAMPLE
A gene in four o’clock plants affects flower color. It has two alleles (R and r) that follow a co-dominant
inheritance pattern:

Genotype (allele combination) Phenotype (visible trait) When alleles are co-dominant, it’s
possible to predict an individual’s
RR red genotype from its phenotype. That’s
Rr pink because each genotype has a
rr white different phenotype.

PRACTICE
5. In Mutt Mixer, ear flop has two co-dominant alleles (Ep and ef ).

Fill in the table: Phenotype Genotype

Floppy
Pointed Pointed (Ep) Floppy (ef)

Semi-floppy

6. In dogs, ear flop is a co-dominant trait. What’s another example from Mutt Mixer of a co-
dominant trait?

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D. Modeling a cross
If you know the genotypes of two parents, you can make a model to see what the possible
genotypes would be for their offspring. Then from the offspring genotypes, you can figure out the
phenotypes.

EXAMPLE
This model shows a cross between
two pea plant parents:

Parent phenotypes:
Tall Short

Parent genotypes: Tt tt

Possible gametes: T t t t

—Offspring—
Possible allele
combinations: Tt Tt tt tt
Phenotypes: Tall Tall Short Short

PRACTICE
7. Fill in the model for this cross
between two dog parents:
Parent phenotypes:

Furnished Furnished

Parent genotypes:

F f F f

Possible gametes:

—Offspring—
Possible allele
combinations:

Phenotypes:

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E. Punnett squares
A different way to model a cross is with a Punnett square. This model has the possible gametes from
one parent along the left side, and the possible gametes from the other parent along the top. Each
square shows a possible allele combination in the offspring.

EXAMPLE
This Punnett square shows
another way to model the
example cross from section D.

Parent phenotypes:
Tall Short

Parent genotypes: Tt tt

t t t t
—Punnett square— T T Tt Tt

t t tt tt

Step 1. Fill in the Step 2. Fill in the possible

gametes allele combinations

PRACTICE
8. Make a Punnett square for the cross you modeled earlier, between two furnished (Ff) dog
parents. Fill in the genotypes and phenotypes for all the possible offspring.

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9. Make a Punnett square for a cross between two dog parents with semi-floppy ears (Ep ef ). Fill
in the genotypes and phenotypes for all the possible offspring. (Tip: See question 5 for more
information about these alleles)

F. Calculating probability
Dominant, recessive, and co-dominant traits follow predictable inheritance patterns. You can use a
Punnett square to predict the chances (or probability) of offspring having each possible genotype
and phenotype.

EXAMPLE
This Punnett square has 4 squares, which together represent all the possible genotypes for offspring
from this cross. So for each possibility, the probability is ¼, or 25%. Together, the possibilities add up
to 1 (¼ + ¼ + ¼ + ¼), or 100% (25% + 25% + 25% + 25%).

Probability as a fraction: Probability as a percent:

t t t t
Tt Tt Tt Tt
T ¼ ¼ T 25% 25%
tall tall tall tall
or
tt
t ¼ tt ¼ t tt
25%
tt
25%
short short short short
Tt tt

In the Punnett square above, two squares have a Tt genotype, which makes a tall phenotype. To
calculate the probability of this combination, you can add the values of the squares together.

Probability of tall phenotype (T t):

25% + 25% = 50% (or) ¼+¼=½

You can do the same for the short phenotype (t t):

25% + 25% = 50% (or) ¼+¼=½

These calculations tell us that if these two parents make an offspring, there is a 50% (or 1 in 2) chance
that it will be tall, and a 50% (or 1 in 2) chance that it will be short.

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PRACTICE
10. Consider a cross between two non-dilute dogs (Dd x Dd)

a. Make a Punnett square to show all the possible genotypes for the offspring.

b. Fill in the possible phenotypes for the offspring.

c. If these two parents have a pup, what is the probability that the pup will be dilute?

d. What is the probability that the pup will be non-dilute?

e. The parents have a dilute pup. If the parents have another pup, what is the probability that it
will be non-dilute? Explain your thinking.

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