Unit Lesson: Genetics

Unit Lesson: Genetics The Lesson Punnett Squares Practice Problems Genetics Jeopardy Review Game Quiz

Genetics: Using Punnett Squares Created by: Mark Dignan

Objectives Students should become familiar with using a Punnett Square to determine offspring genotypes and phenotypes. Students should understand the differences between genotypes and phenotypes Students should be able to calculate percents of different genotype combinations from the use of a Punnett Square. Students should recognize the terms of dominance and recessive as they are concerned with the use of a Punnett Square

Objectives Students should understand the difference between haploid and diploid number when determining the number of chromosomes within a cell.

Early Genetics • The study of genetics began with observations made by Gregor Mendel. • After noticing that the flowers of his pea plants were either violet or white, Mendel began to study the segregation of heritable traits. Between 1856 and 1863 he cultivated and tested at least 28,000 pea plants. Remember that Mendel worked almost 150 years ago when nobody knew about genes or even the structures (chromosomes) that carry genes.

Here are some traits observed by Mendel:

Lets consider a single gene… • A gene carries information that determines your traits. Traits are characteristics you inherit from your parents. • Genes are located in chromosomes. • Chromosomes come in pairs and there are thousands of genes in one chromosome.

Continued… • In humans, a cell’s nucleus contains 46 individual chromosomes or 23 pairs of chromosomes. • Half of the chromosomes come from one parent and half come from the other parent. This is a human karyotype representing the 23 pairs of chromosomes in a male Here is the detailed structure of a chromosome

Definitions • Allele – The different forms of a trait that make up a gene pair within a chromosome. • Genotype -the genes of an organism for one specific trait • Phenotype -the physical appearance of a trait in an organism • Diploid Number - Refers to the pairs of similar chromosomes within a cell • Haploid Number - The number referring to half the number of chromosomes within a cell; sex cells do not have pairs of chromosomes, and are only cells that have haploid number

Definitions • Dominant trait - Refers to a genetic feature that “hides” the recessive trait in the phenotype of an individual. • Recessive trait - Describes a trait that is covered over (or dominated) by another form of that trait and seems to disappear. • Homozygous -two alleles that are the same for a trait (Pure); ex: TT or tt or BB • Heterozygous -two different alleles for a trait (Hybrid); ex: Tt or Bb or Cc

Practice • We use two letters to represent the genotype. A capital letter represents the dominant form of a gene (allele) and a lowercase letter is the abbreviation for the recessive form of the gene (allele). • Example below: P=dominant purple and p= recessive white The phenotype for this flower is violet while its genotype (if homozygous) is PP. The phenotype for this flower is white while its genotype is pp (to be white the flower must have two of the recessive copies of the allele).

Punnett Squares • The Punnett square is the standard way of working out what the possible offspring of two parents will be. • It is a helpful tool to show allelic combinations and predict offspring ratios.

Before we go further lets discuss how to set up a Punnett Square… We begin by constructing a grid of two perpendicular lines.

Next, put the genotype of one parent across the top and the other along the left side. For this example lets consider a genotype of BB crossed with bb. It would be written as: BB x bb B B • Notice only one letter goes above each box • It does not matter which parent’s genotype goes on either side. b b

Next, fill in the boxes by copying the column and row head-letters down and across into the empty spaces. B B b b b B B b b B b B

Punnett Squares Now that we have learned the basics of genetics lets walk through some examples using Punnett Squares.

Ww Usually write the capital letter first W W W Ww Lets say: W- dominant white w- recessive violet Ww w w w Parents in this cross are heterozygous(Ww). Note: Make sure I can tell your capital letters from lowercase letters. What percentage of the offspring will have violet flowers? ANSWER: 25% (homozygous recessive)

Red hair (R) is dominant over blond hair (r). Make a cross between a heterozygous red head and a blond. R r r r r r R r r R r r

50% • What percentage of the offspring will have red hair? R r r r r r R r r R r r

Let’s try some more… In pea plants, tall pea plants (T) are dominant over short pea plants (t). Construct a Punnett Square for a heterozygous tall pea plant and a short pea plant. T t What are the percentage of phenotypes? What are the genotype frequencies? t t 50% tall 50% short 50% Tt 50% tt

Let’s try one more… Black eyes (R) are dominant over red eyes (r) in rats. Make a cross between a homozygous rat with black eyes and a rat with red eyes. What is the possibility of a red eye off springs? R R 0%  r r What are the genotype frequencies? What are the percentage of phenotypes? 100% black 0% red 100% Rr

References • http://www.athro.com/evo/gen/punnett.html • http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/what_is_gene.html • http://brookings.k12.sd.us/biology/ch%2011%20genetics/punnettpractice.ppt#1 • http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/CURR/Science/sciber00/7th/genetics/sciber/punnett.htm • http://www.biotechnologyonline.gov.au/images/contentpages/karyotype.jpg

Punnett Square Problems

PROBLEM # 1 One dog carries heterozygous, black-fur traits (Bb), and its mate carries homogenous, blonde-fur traits (bb). Determine the probability of one their puppies having black fur. The problem is written as Bb x bb. B b b B b b b b B b b b

PROBLEM # 1 Code: B = Black fur (Dominant) b = Blonde fur (Recessive) B b What is the genotype ratio? What are the percentage of phenotypes? What are the genotype frequencies? b B b b b 1:2 B b b b 50% black fur 50% blonde fur 50% Bb 50% bb b # of ways to get black fur # of possible outcomes

PROBLEM #2 In peas, the color yellow (Y) is dominant to the color green (y). What is the probability of an offspring being yellow if the parents are Yy x Yy. Y y Y Y Y Y y y Y y y y

PROBLEM # 2 Code: Y = Yellow (Dominant) y = green (Recessive) Y y What is the yellow genotype ratio? What are the percentage of phenotypes? What are the genotype frequencies? Y Y Y y Y 3:1 Y y y y 25% Yellow Pure 50% Yellow Hybrid 25% green pure 25% YY 50% Yy 25% yy y

Unit Lesson: Genetics