Mendelian Genetics

In carrying out his breeding studies, Mendel examined characteristics that had which of the

following properties? They were controlled by loci that behaved as if they were on different

chromosomes, it was possible to isolate true breeding varieties for each trait, and the traits

were each controlled by a single gene, the traits varied in an either-or fashion

The F1 generation differed from the F2 in Mendel’s experiments in that (The F1 was produced

by crossing true breeding parents whereas the F2 was generated by allowing the F1 plants to self-

pollinate) All of the F1 showed the dominant phenotype but only three fourths of the F2 did.

All of the F1 were heterozygous and therefore showed the dominant phenotype. In the F2

only half were heterozygous and another quarter were homozygous for the dominant allele

If a heterozygous plant is allowed to self pollinate, what portion of the offspring will be

heterozygous? (Apply the addition rule) One half. One quarter of the offspring will be

homozygous for the dominant allele, one quarter will be homozygous for the recessive

allele, and the remaining half will be heterozygous

Tall length in a certain species of armadillo falls along a continuum, following a normal

distribution. Assuming that environmental factors do not play an important role in determining

tail length, this type of variation probably reflects polygenic inheritance. Characteristics that

vary along a continuum, following a normal distribution, are often controlled by multiple

genes, each contributing to the phenotype in an additive fashion

If 2 traits that Mendel looked at in his dihybrid cross of smooth yellow peas with wrinkled green

peas had been controlled by genes that were located near each other on the same chromosomes,

then the F2 generation would have deviated from the 9:3:3:1 phenotypical ratio that
is predicted by the law of independent assortment. If 2 traits are located on the same

chromosome, they will not segregate independently (The law of independent assortment

applies only when the loci are present on different chromosomes)

Pea plants may be purple (P) or white (p). Pea seeds may be round (R) or wrinkled (r). What

proportion of the offspring form the cross between PPRr x PpRr will have white flowers and

wrinkled seeds? 1/16 Pp x Pp would produce 3/4 purple and 1/4 white. Rr x Rr would

produce 3/4 round and 1/4 wrinkled. 1/4 x 1/4 would result in 1/16 with white flowers and

wrinkled seeds

In Mendel’s monohybrid cross of purple flowered and white flowered peas, all members of the

F1 generation had the purple flowered phenotype because their genotype was purple flowers

and heterozygous at the flower color locus

Cystic fibrosis, which is usually lethal before the age of reproduction, is a homozygous recessive

trait. Why do cases continue to arise, even though people with this disease rarely live to

reproduce? Because the harmful allele “hides” within heterozygous individuals, one-fourth

of the offspring of 2 heterozygotes would be affected. Affected individuals usually have

unaffected parents, both of whom are carriers of the recessive allele

If each parents can produce 100 genetically distinct gametes, how many genetically distinct

offspring can 2 parents produce? (Consider the rules of probability) Ten thousand. The rule of

multiplication applies to these independent events.

It is far more common to find human genetic disease caused by recessive alleles rather than by

dominant alleles because harmful recessive alleles can survive in the heterozygote without

any selection pressure against them. Lethal dominant alleles are much less common

than lethal recessive ones because the effects of lethal dominants are not masked in

heterozygotes
Human blood groups are governed by three alleles, A, B, and O. A and B are codominant while

O is recessive to both. A man who has type B blood and a woman who has type A blood could

have children of which of the following phenotypes? A, B, AB, or O. The genotype of the man

with blood type B could be either IBIB or IBi so his gametes could be either IB or i. The

genotype of the woman with type A blood could be either IAIA or IAi so her games could be

either IA or i

What is a basic difference between Mendel’s particulate hypothesis and the hypothesis

of blending inheritance? The blending inheritance hypothesis, but not the particulate

hypothesis, maintained that after mating, the genetic material provided by each of the 2

parents is mixed in the offspring, losing its individual identity

Flower color in snapdragons is an example of incomplete dominance. When a red flowered plant

is crossed with a white flowered plant, the F1 generation has pink flowers. If a pink flowered

plant is crossed with another pink flowered plant, the progeny plants will be 25% red, 50%

pink, and 25% white

Physically, what are different alleles? (How do alleles relate to chromosomes?) Different alleles

are different DNA sequences found at the same locus on homologous chromosomes

An individual with the genotype AABbCcDD can make how many different types of gametes?

Four. The individual varies only at loci B and C (not at A and D which are homozygous)

and there are 2 possible alleles at each loci. (22 = 4) (Examine each locus individually and then

calculate the overall number)

A man who can roll his tongue and a woman who cannot roll her tongue have a son who can roll

his tongue (R = can roll tongue and r = cannot roll tongue) The son is curious about whether his
father is homozygous or heterozygous for the tongue rolling trait. Which of the following facts

would allow him to know? If his father’s mother cannot roll her tongue, then his father must

be heterozygous for the tongue rolling trait

Pea plants are tall if they have the genotype TT or Tt and they are short if they have the genotype

tt. A tall plant is mated with a short plant. Which outcome below would indicate that the tall

parent plant was heterozygous? If the ratio of tall offspring to short offspring is one to one

then half the offspring would be heterozygous and the other half would be homozygous

recessive. (This is a testcross)

Mendel’s theory of particulate inheritance can explain inheritance pattern for virtually every

sexually reproducing organism but does not explain multifactorial characteristics.

A red bull is crossed with a white cow and all of the offspring are roan, an intermediate color

that is caused by the presence of both red and white hairs. This is an example of genes that are

codominant (roan is caused by the presence of both red and white hairs)

An AABbccDdEeFF individual is crossed with an individual with the genotype

AaBBCCDdEeff. What is the probability that their offspring will have the genotype

AaBBCcddEEFf? 1/64 To obtain the overall probability multiply the individual

probabilities for each locus (1/2)(1/2)(1)(1/4)(1/4)(1)

A = big apples R = red apples a = small apples r = yellow apples. One tree produces big yellow

apples and the other tree produces small red apples. When the 2 are crosses, you find that half of

the new trees produce big red apples and half produce big yellow apples. What are the genotypes

of the parents? AARr and Aarr Trees that produce big yellow apples could be AArr or

Aarr. Trees that produce small red apples could be aaRR or aaRr. Since all of the offspring

are big, the big parent must be homozygous for A. Since half the apples are red and half
are yellow, the red parent must be heterozygous for red. The conclusion is that the cross

must be AArr x aaRr

What is indicated when a single character testcross yields offspring that all have the dominant

phenotype? The parents with the dominant phenotype was homozygous