General Biology 2
Lesson 3: Modification to Mendel’s Classic Ratios
Learning objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the learners will be able to:
• distinguish Mendelian from non-Mendelian modes of inheritance; and
• describe some cases of non-Mendelian genetic traits
Mendel’s Work
- His work on pea plants established the principles of gene transmission from parent to offspring that
serve as the foundation for the science of genetics.
- Theory of Chromosomal Inheritance explains how genetic information is transmitted from generation
to generation.
Term-to-know:
• Mitosis/Meiosis: Replication and division of chromosomes fer cell distribution.
• Diploid (2n): 2 copies; found in body cells.
• Haploid: half the copies; found in gametes.
Genetic Variation
- results from any heritable change
- heritable changes are called mutations
- mutations can:
• Cause no change
• Cause beneficial changes/Natural Selection
• Cause harmful changes
Mendel’s Postulates
• Unit factors come in pairs
• Chromosomes come in pairs
• Unit factors have either a dominant or recessive form
• Genes have either a dominant or recessive form
• Unit factors segregate/separate during gamete formation
• Chromosomes segregate/separate during gamete formation
• Unit factors assort independently from one another
• Chromosomes assort independently from one another
Mendel’s Postulates for other inheritance patterns do not hold true in all respects
- These both hold true for other types of inheritance
• Unit factors segregate/separate during gamete formation
• Unit factors assort independently from one another
-These postulates do not
• Unit factors come in pairs
• Chromosomes come in pairs
• Unit factors have either a dominant or recessive form
Non-mendelian modes of inheritance
-Not all patterns of inheritance can be described using Mendel’s Laws. Sometimes, inheritance patterns
are more complicated than simple dominance
Incomplete dominance
- happens when one allele is not completely dominant over the other allele
- it often shows a heterozygous phenotype that is intermediate between the two homozygous
phenotypes. e.g. a red flower (RR) is crossed with a white flower (rr) and produces a pink flower (Rr).
Codominance
- both alleles contribute to the phenotype of an organism
- Example: In cattle, the allele for red hair (R) is codominant with the allele for white hair (W). If both
alleles are present in the offspring, a roan or pinkish brown appearance shows (RW). Roan is basically a
combination of both red and white hairs.
Multiple Alleles
- this type of inheritance involves more than two phenotypes for a particular trait, which happens when
an organism has more than two alleles for the trait.
- Example: The coat color in rabbits can be determined using four different alleles. These four alleles can
be combined in different ways.
- Example: Humans have four different blood types. The different alleles can have these genotypes and
phenotypes. There are 6 genotypes and only 4 phenotypes can be derived from the 3 alleles of the
human blood type.
Activity 5
Answer the ffg:
• In cattle, coat color is inherited in a co-dominant fashion. Homozygous B 1B1 produces black coat,
homozygous B2B2 produces white coat, and the heterozygous B 1B2 produces roan coat. Give the
phenotypic ratio(% chance of them showing) of the offspring of the following crosses:
• B1B1 x B1B1
• B1B1 x B2B2
• B1B2 x B1B2
• B1B1 x B1B2
• B1B2 x B2B2
• In a hypothetical plant, a serrated leaf margined plant, when crossed with a smooth leaf
margined plant, produces offspring with wavy leaf margin.
• Identify the mode of inheritance.
• Two serrated plants, when crossed, will give what type of offspring?
• Two wavy plants will produce what possible kinds of offspring? Give their ratios?
• In guinea pigs, coat color is governed by four alleles that constitute a multiple allelic series, C
(black), cS (sepia), cC (cream), and c (albino) with the following dominance hierarchy: C>c S>cC>c.
Determine the phenotypic ratios of the progeny from the following crosses:
• Cc x CcS
• CcS x cCc
• A man who is blood type B is married to a woman who is blood type A. None of the man’s
parents is blood type O. This couple has 4 children with the following blood types: B, AB, AB and
O. Give the genotypes of the parents.
Activity 6
A man with blood type B married a woman with blood type A. They had a child with blood type O. Is the
child a legitimate offspring of the father? If yes, explain and show why. If no, explain and show why.
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