FAMI

LYTRAI
TS(
SKI
NCOLOUR,
HEI
GHT,
ALBI
NISM,
ETC.
)

Def
ini
ti
onofGenet
ics

Geneti
csisthescienti
fi
cst
udyofheredi
tyandvar
iat
ioni
nli
v i
ngthi
ngs.Thet
ransf
er
ofmateri
alswhichleadtoher
edi
tyandvari
ati
onoccursdur
ingrepr
oducti
oni
nlivi
ng
thi
ngs.

Her
edi
tyisabranchofgenet
icswhi
chst
udi
eshowchi
l
drenorof
fspr
ingt
akeaf
ter
t
hei
rparent
s.

FAMI LYTRAITScanbedefi
nedastransmit
tablechar
acteri
sti
cswhicharepassed
from par
entstoof
fspri
ngorchi
l
drenorprogenyfrom onegenerati
ontoanother
throughrepr
oduct
ion.Youmayhaveyourhaircol
orasy ourmotheroryoureyecol
or
asy ourf
ather
.

Weal lhaveinherit
edt rai
tsthatweshar eincommonwi thothers.Fami l
iesshare
manyt rai
tsincommonbecausepar entspassdowni nheri
tedtraitstotheirchil
dren.
Yet,everypersonhasacombi nati
onoft r
ait
sthati suni quetothem.Howev er,t
he
moder nscienceofgenet i
cswhi chseekstounder standt heprocessofi nheri
tance
onlybeganwi ththewor kofGregorMendel inthemi d-19thcentury.Althoughhedi d
notknowt hephy sicalbasisforheredit
y,Mendel obser vedthator ganismsi nheri
t
trai
tsviadiscret
euni tsofinheri
tancewhicharenowgenes.Gr egorMendel isthe
fatherofGenet i
csbecausehi swor kongenet i
csf ormedt hefoundat i
onf or
quantit
ativ
eandsci enti
ficst
udyofgenet i
cs.

EXAMPLESOFFAMI
LYTRAI
TS

1. Col
ourofski
n(Compl
exi
on)

2. Hei
ght(Tal
l
nessorShor
tness)

3. Col
ourofey
es

4. Col
ourofhai
r

5. I
ntel
l
igence

6. Shapeofnose

7. Bl
oodgr
oup

8. Al
bini
sm

Itshouldbenot edthatt
hetransmissi
onoftrai
tsfr
om parent
st oof
fspri
ngor
chil
dr en(
heredity
)onlycannotdet
erminethemanifest
ati
onoft het
rai
ts.The
environmentplaysitsownpartasheredi
tyisthenatur
ewhiletheenvi
ronmenti
sthe
nurture.
MEANI
NGOFDOMI
NANTANDRECESSI
VETRAI
TS

Adomi nantt
rai
tcanbedef i
nedasat rai
tthati
sexpressedinanoffspr
ingwhentwo
i
ndiv
idualswit
hcont r
acti
ngtrai
tsorcharact
eri
sti
csarecrossed.Dominantt
rai
tsar
e
cont
rol
ledbydomi nantgenes.(
RR,TT)

Ar ecessiv
etrai
tcanbedef i
nedast hetr
ait
sfrom par
entswhichdonotpr
oduceany
effectsinthepresenceofdominanttr
ait
s.Recessi
vetrai
tsar
econtr
oll
edby
recessivegenes.(rr
,tt
)

Bothparentshavetobecar
ri
ersofarecessi
vetr
aiti
nor
derforachil
dtoexpress
thattr
ait
.Ifbot
hparent
sarecarr
ier
s,t
hereisa25%chancewitheachchi
l
dt oshow
therecessiv
etrai
t.

Thegenesarethebasicuni
tofher
edi
ty.Theydet
ermi
net
henat
ureofi
nher
it
ed
char
acter
ist
icsort
rai
ts.

I
MPORTANCEOFFAMI
LYTRAI
TS

Theimport
anceoff amilytr
ait
scannotbeover
-emphasi
zed.I
tispossi
blet
opredi
ct
tr
ait
stobeex pectedintheoff
spri
ngbefor
emar r
iagei
sconductedbet
weentwo
i
ndivi
dual
s.Fami l
ytrai
tscanbeusedto:

1. Det
ermi
net
hei
ntel
l
igenceofi
ndi
vi
dual
s

2. Deter
mi neordet
ectcer
tai
ndi
seasest
hatr
uni
nthef
ami
l
y.An
exampl
eissi
ckl
ecellanemia

3. Det
ermi
nei
npar
ti
cul
arwhodoesachi
l
dresembl
eint
hef
ami
l
y

4. Det
ermi
net
hebl
oodgr
oupofani
ndi
vi
dual
whi
chcoul
dbeA,
B,ABor
O.

5. Tr
acet
hef
ami
l
ygeneal
ogy

Thef
ami
l
ygeneal
ogyorf
ami
l
ytr
eeorpedi
greesar
eli
nesofgener
ati
onofpar
ent
s
andoffspr
ingwhicht
racet
hedescendantsofamanandhi
swi
fe.Amanwi
thmor
e
thanonewi f
ewil
lhav
eonefamil
ytreeforeachofhi
swi
fe.

TheFami
lyTr
ee

EVALUATI
ONQUESTI
ONS

1. St
atef
ivei
mpor
tanceoff
ami
l
ytr
ait
s

2. Expl
ainf
ami
l
ygeneal
ogy

3. Def
inet
hewor
dfami
l
ytr
ait
s

4. Li
stf
ivef
ami
l
ytr
ait
s

5. Thesci
ent
if
icst
udyofher
edi
tyandv
ari
ati
oni
scal
l
ed…………….
.

6. Tr
ait
sar
eal
socal
l
ed……………

7. ………….
.isal
sor
efer
redt
oaspr
ogeny

8. Whoi
sthef
atherofgenet
ics?