Genetics: the

study of
Heredity
Amanda Rake
East Middle School 2016 [7th
grade]

Make a list of
characteristics
that you can
observe.

Traits: a distinguishing
characteristic
Some are inherited & similar to
those your parents have.

Some are acquired & you

develop them over your
lifetime.

Examples:
Hair Color

Shape of Face

Eye Color

Shape of ears

# of arms

Shape of nose

Examples:
Language
Reading

Writing
Riding a Bike

Genes are located on your

chromosomes
Individuals inherit genes
from their parents
Your cells contain 23
chromosome pairs
[homologs]

Traits are
Controlled by
Genes

You are literally half of your

mother and father!
Each homolog contains sites
where genes are located.
Though the gene may be
present on both, the form of
the gene may be different.
Different forms of the same
gene are called alleles.

Now look at this

The
Father of
Genetics
Gregor Mendel
performed the first
major experiments
investigating heredity.

About him
- Austrian Monk
- University trained in Mathematics
and Science
- Experimented between 1856- 1863
- Investigated inheritance among pea
plants in his monasterys garden

Mendels
Experiment
Observed Seven different traits
of pea plants.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Plant Height
Seed Shape
Pod Shape
Seed Color
Flower Color
Pod Color
Flower and Pod position

Using one trait at a time, Mendel crossed

two plants who were
true breeding for opposite forms of the
same trait.

Example:

Trait- Plant Height

Opposite forms crossedtall plant x dwarf plant

Each Plant must have two factors for

each possible trait, one factor from each
parent
Some forms of a trait can be masked
Traits able to be masked can only be seen
if both the plants factors are for that form
of the trait.
Mendels factors are now known as

Alleles Interact to produce

Traits
- Phenotype describes the physical
characteristics that is displayed by
your genes.

Observable [eye color, hair color]

- Genotype describes the actual

genes that you have on your DNA;
not always obvious.
Example: you may carry the gene for red
hair but you have brown hair

Two forms of Every Gene:

DOMINANT
- Physically expressed regardless of
the other paired allele
- Always a capital letter [ T ]
Example: Tallness of the pea plant is the
dominant trait for the pea plant height

Mendel found that we have two

copies of each allele
recessive
- Physically expressed when paired
with another recessive allele
- Always a lowercase letter [ t ]
Example: Dwarfism is the recessive trait
for the pea plant height

Why know... dominant? recessive?

Genotype? Phenotype?

1.TT [homozygous] Tall

2.Tt
3.tt [

Tall
]

[heterozygous]

homozygous

T[dominant]=
TALL
tt [recessive]
= dwarf

What would
the phenotype
{color} of a
flower be if
The Genotype
was YY.
Y= yellow y=green

What would
the phenotype
of a flower be
if The
Genotype was
yy.
Y= yellow y=green

What would the

phenotype of a
flower be if
The Genotype
was Yy.

Y= yellow y=green

Lets write all of the possible

genotypes
for:
A plant with purple flowers.
Purple is the dominant color. [P]
White is the recessive color. [p]

A plant with wrinkled seeds.

Round seed shape is the dominant
shape [R]
Wrinkled seed shape is the recessive
shape. [r]

PP OR Pp

rr

Lets find out the

Phenotype if we know the
Y= yellow y=green
G= green g= yellow
Genotype:
Genotype: YY

Yellow

Genotype: Gg

Green

What do
you see?

+
Who knows how to add!?