Bio 105 - Contemporary Biology - Fall 2017 Learning Guide 02

Chapter: 9 Part: 1 of 1 Parts

Major Topic(s) Covered: Mendelian Genetics

Read Section(s): 9.3 to 9.7; & 9.11- 9.17
Omit Section(s): Chapter 9 Intro.; 9.1 to 9.2; 9.8 to 9.10; 9.18 to 9.23
Group Assignment(s): A man with normal sight marries a colorblind woman. They have
children. On average, what percentage of their sons will be colorblind? What percent of
their daughters will be colorblind? You must show the work you used to get the answer
on the other side of the card in order to get credit for this assignment.

Why this Material? This is a good place to start because you had this material in high
school and it is really the basis for the research that has lead to todays revolution in cell
and molecular biology. It is also a great example of how with the simplest of tools and
observations it is possible to understand one of the fundamental properties of life - namely
that there is not only a relationship between parents and their offspring (something which
is obvious) but that this transmittal of characteristics follows mathematical rules. The fact
that inheritance has mathematical precision implies that there is something physical (a
gene, DNA sequence) that is responsible for this property. Mendels observations and the
traditional genetics that followed was one of the important factors supporting the idea that
all life is explainable by chemical and physical principals.

Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this learning guide, you should be able to:

1. Do a Monohybrid cross and describe the phenotypes and genotypes for the F1 and F2
generations. This will mean you can generate and use a Punnett square. (Note: a look
at the sample problems at the back of the chapter to give you some practice with this
process.)

2. Know what is meant by the principle of independent assortment and be able to

demonstrate it in a dihybrid cross.
The law of independent assortment is the inheritance of one character that has no effect on
the inheritance of another character. This can be shown using a Punnett square for the
dihybrid cross with Mendels seeds. Look at notes for Punnett Square (yellow round,
green round, yellow wrinkled, green wrinkled)

3. Give examples of incomplete dominance and co-dominance and explain how theses
complicate any genetic analysis.
Incomplete dominance: the appearance of F1 hybrid falls between the phenotypes of two
parental varieties; for examples, when red snapdragons and crossed with white
snapdragons all the F1 hybrids have pink flowers
Complete dominance: the dominant allele has the same phenotypic effect whether
present in 1 or 2 copies; for example: offspring of Mendels pea crosses always looked like
1 of the two parental varieties
Co-dominance: inheritance pattern in which a heterozygote expresses the distinct trait of
both alleles; for example: when a person has AB type blood because the I^A and I^B
alleles are both present

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Bio 105 - Contemporary Biology - Fall 2017 Learning Guide 02

4. Explain why sickle-cell anemia is considered an example of pleiotrophy.

Sickle-cell anemia is considered an example of pleiotropy because it is one allele that
influences multiple characters. On one hand, it makes red blood cells that produce
abnormal hemoglobin proteins. On the other, people with the sickle-cell allele have
increased resistance to malaria.

5. Describe the genetics of a human characteristic such as height or skin color.

Human characteristics such as height or skin color depend on polygenic inheritance. This
is the additive effects of two or more genes on a single phenotypic character.

6. Explain what a gene really is in at least three levels of biological organization:

organismal, cellular and molecular. This will be your introduction into understanding
how the characteristics at one level are responsible for the observed properties at the
next higher level of organization.

Question wants you to think about genes on all different kinds of levels
Molecule level: DNA found on the sequence of nucleotides, depending on the nucleotide
determines what kind of proteins are produced
Cell structure: DNA is organized/packed into a chromosome: chromosomes carry many
genes on them
Trait (organismal level): phenotype: what you see based on the trait or characteristic
Population: gene pool, number of genes/particular trait found in a particular population

7. Understand the meaning and use of the following terms or ideas:

Alleles: alternative versions of a gene

Chromosome theory of Inheritance: holds that genes occupy specific loci on

chromosomes, and it is the chromosomes that undergo segregation and independent
assortment during meiosis
THUS: its the behavior of chromosomes during meiosis and fertilization that accounts for
inheritance patterns

What happens to Mendelian genetics when you follow the inheritance of two genes that
are close to each other on a chromosome?
This is called linked genes. These genes tend to be inherited together.

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Bio 105 - Contemporary Biology - Fall 2017 Learning Guide 02

The properties of Sex-linked genes

Two genes on the same chromosome: linked
Inherited together
Crossing over
Further apart the genes are on a chromosomes means that it is more likely for crossing
over to occur

Genetics Terminology
Gene: unit of genetic material, nucleotides
Characteristic: trait of a certain organism
Chromosome: strand of genetic material
Diploid: two sets of chromosomes, pairs of chromosomes, each chromosome has a
mate/pair, humans are diploids
Haploid: one set of chromosomes, ex. Fungi
o Sex cells in humans are haploid; the sperm/egg
Phenotype: the physical appearance/characteristics of an organism; the
environment acting upon the genotype
Genotype: the genetic identity/composition of an organism
Allele: forms of the genes; can represent a physical or chemical trait
Punnett square: used to find the dominant/recessive gene
Homozygous: when it copies to create the same gene; exact same genetic
composition
Heterozygous: when it copies to form different genes (different alleles)
Dominant:
Recessive:
Monohybrid: monohybrid cross is a mating between individuals who have different
alleles at one genetic locus of interest
Dihybrid: cross between F1 offspring of two individuals that differ in two traits of
particular interest