GENETICS

Genetics- the study of heredity & variation

Heredity– the transmission of traits from one generation
to another from parents to offspring; the
protoplasmic continuity between parents and offspring.
Variation- any difference existing between individuals of
the same species.
Chromosome- rod-shaped body in
the nucleus of eukaryotes and
prokaryotes that contains the
hereditary units or genes; seen
particularly during cell division.
Gene- the unit of heredity occupying
a particular location on the
chromosome and passed on to
offspring.
Locus- the location of a gene on a
chromosome.
F1 generation- first filial generation; the first-generation
offspring of genetic cross that has at least two
generations.
F2 generation- second filial generation; the second-
generation offspring of a genetic cross.
Homozygous- a pair of similar or like genes for any one
character.
Ex. TT, tt
Heterozygous-a pair of contrasting traits of two kinds of
genes.
Ex. Tt
Genotype- the particular genes of an individual that
determine a specific trait.
Ex. TT, Tt and tt

Phenotype- the outward appearance of an organism,

caused by genetic and environmental influences.
Ex. Homozygous Tall, Heterozygous Tall,
Homozygous Dwarf
Allele- a pair of similar or contrasting characteristic; one
of two or more alternative states of a gene.
Dominant Allele- hereditary factor that expresses itself
when the genotype is heterozygous.
Recessive Allele- hereditary factor that expresses itself
when the genotype is homozygous.
Hybrid- the offspring of two parents that differ in one or
more heritable characters.
Monohybrid Cross- cross in which the parents differ in
one pair of alternative character.
Dihybrid Cross- cross in which the parents differ in one
pair of alternative character.
Homologous Chromosomes- a pair of chromosomes that
have the same shape and contains genes for the
same traits.
Gregor Mendel
-an Austrian Augustinian
monk born in 1822 to peasant
parents; studied science &
mathematics at the University of
Vienna where he failed an exam
for a teaching certificate.
-taught natural science at a
local technical school
-formulate certain laws of
heredity in early 1860s
Mendel’s Conclusion

1. Law of Dominance- states that when two organisms

with different traits are crossed, the offspring will only show
the trait of the dominant character.
2. Law of Segregation- states that when two traits cross
in a hybrid pair, the offspring will have one factor from
each parent.
3. Law of Independent Assortment- states that members
of one pair of factors segregate (assort) independently
of members of another pair of factors. Therefore, all
possible combinations of factors can occur in the
gametes.
Sample Problem:

In Oryctolagus cuniculus (rabbits), black hair color

(B) is dominant to brown color (b). Short hair (S) is
dominant to long hair (s). A cross between a
homozygous black, long-haired male rabbit and a brown,
homozygous short-haired female was made.
a. What are the genotypes of both male & female rabbits
b. What will be the phenotype of the F1 generation?
C. If one of the F1 rabbit reproduced with a brown long-
haired rabbit, what would be the phenotypic ratio of
the offspring?
a. Male Female
BBss x bbSS

b. First Filial Generation Bs x bS

BbSs (Hetero Black/short)

c. BbSs x bbss bs

BS BbSs (Heteroblack, Heteroshort)

Phenotypic Ratio
Bs Bbss (Heteroblack, Homolong)
1:2:1
bS bbSs (Homobrown, Heteroshort)

bs Bbss (Heteroblack, Homolong)

 BS Bs bS bs

BS BBSS BBSs BbSS BbSs

Gray, Long Gray, Long Gray, Long Gray, Long

Bs BBSs BBss BbSs Bbss

Gray, Long Gray, short Gray, Long Gray, short

bS BbSS BbSs bbSS bbSs

Gray, short Gray, short Black, short Black, short

bs BbSs Bbss bbSS Bbss

Gray, short Gray, short Gray, short Gray, short
 In Drosophilia melanogaster (fruit fly), a wild type
fly has long wings and a gray body. There are mutant
with short wings and black bodies. The key for a cross
involving these traits is S= long wing, s=short wing,
B=gray body and b=black body. If two flies heterozygous
for both traits are crossed, what are the probable
results?
 SB Sb sB sb

SB SSBB SSBb SsBB SsBb

HlongHgray Hlonghgray hlongHgray hlonghgray
Sb SSBb SSbb SsBb Ssbb
Hlonghgray HlongHblack hlonghgray hlongHblack
sB SsBB SsBb ssBB ssBb
hlongHgray hlonghgray HshortHgray Hshorthgray
sb SsBb Ssbb ssBb Ssbb
hlonghgray hlongHblack Hshorthgray HlongHgray
Solve.

1. In a fish, gold skin color (G) is dominant to black skin

(g) and split tail fin (S) is dominant to single tail fin. A
breeder crosses a male fish having GgSs genotype with
a female fish having ggSs genotype. Determine the
expected phenotypic ratio of the progeny.
Solve.

2. Blue eyes with black coats are not often seen on

wolves. Assume that normal coat color (N)
dominates over black (n) and that brown eyes (B)
dominate over blue (b). An alpha male is mated with
an alpha female. What will be the probability of a
wolf’s offspring having blue eyes and a black coat if
both parents are heterozygous for eye and coat
color? (Note: the alleles for coat color and eye color
are not linked).