Heredity: Mendel's Laws and Variation Chapter for SEE Nepal
1. INTRODUCTION TO GENETICS
Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance
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2. The basic rules of
inheritance were first
demonstrated by Gregor
Johnn Mendel in the
mid-1800s.
At the time of Mendel’s
work, most thought
that parental traits were
fluids that “blend” in
offspring
Mendel recognized that
this model did not
explain what he
observed. ANJAN NEPAL
3. Mendel chose a model
system and carefully
established testing
conditions
he used pea plants that
he could outcross or
allow to self-fertilize
he chose traits that had
two clear possible
outcomes (yellow or
green seeds, etc.)
he established true-
breeding or “pure” lines
to use for genetic crosses
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4. P generation (or P1) = parental generation
F1 generation = first generation offspring (from filial)
F2 generation = second generation offspring
phenotype – appearance or characteristic of an
organism
genotype – genetic makeup of an organism,
determines phenotype
gene – unit of heredity; controls a trait that
determines a phenotype
locus – the location of a particular gene on a
chromosome
alleles – alternative versions of a gene
dominant – allele that dominates over others in
determining phenotype
recessive – allele whose phenotypic expression is
“hidden” when a dominant allele is present
hybrid – offspring from a cross between two “pure”
lines of different, competing phenotypes
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6. The characters which are expressed by hybrids are
called Dominant character.
The suppressed character is called recessive character.
For example, if cross is made between Tall pea plant
(TT) and dwarf pea plant (tt), all the hybrids in F1
generation were tall.
Here, the expressed tallness is dominant character and
the masked or suppressed dwarfishness is recessive
character.
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7. Contains large number of contrasting character
Very short life cycle
Suited for controlling breeding i.e. both self and cross pollinatedANJAN NEPAL
9. Each characteristics of an
organism is determined by
a pair of factors of which
only one can be present in
each gamete.
When a pair of contrasting
characters are brought
together in a hybrid (F1),
the member of the pair stay
together without mixing
and separate when the
hybrid form gametes.
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10. when F1 plants were
crossed or selfed, the F2
plants had both P1
phenotypes in a ratio of
roughly 3:1.
3 purple flower: white
flower
So, recessive traits are
not lost in a mixing of
parental phenotypes –
they are merely hidden
in some “carrier”
individuals. ANJAN NEPAL
12. Phenotype is the actual appearance or
characteristic, and is determined by genotype.
knowing the phenotype will not always directly
reveal the genotype (recessive traits can be
masked)
Genotype is the genetic composition of an
organism or actual alleles of a character.
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13. Genotypes are either homozygous or heterozygous
Homozygous – The homologous chromosomes that
have the same allele at the locus. The trait from that
allele will be expressed phenotypically.
Heterozygous – The homologous chromosomes that
have different alleles at the locus. If there is a
dominant allele, the trait of the dominant allele will
be expressed phenotypically.
The same letter is used to indicate all alleles of
same trait
DOMINANT ALLELES ARE CAPITALIZED; recessive alleles are
lowercase
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14. Monohybrid cross
Cross between two
parents with one pair of
contrasting characters
Ex: Cross between Tall
pea plant (TT) and dwarf
pea plant (tt)
Punnett square
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16. Dihybrid cross – Cross between individuals that are both
heterozygous for two different genes that you are
following
When Mendel performed Dihybrid crosses he found
phenotype ratios of 9:3:3:1
note that this follows the product rule:
3:1 x 3:1 = 9:3:3:1
Segregation of any one pair of
alleles is independent of the
segregation of other pairs of alleles
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