PATTERNS OF HEREDITY

WHAT IS GENETICS?
-Genetics- is a branch of biology that deals with the study of genes
-Gene-is defined as the basic unit of heredity
-portion of DNA that carries the information that determines the characteristics of
cells and organisms

GREGOR MENDEL
-Father of Genetics
-He studied the variation and inheritance of characteristics of garden peas and
proposed principles about the transmission of these characteristics from one
generation to the next.
-MENDELIAN GENETICS
Study of the transmission of genes from one generation to the next following the
principles formulated by Gregor Mendel

GENES
• Mendel proposed that hereditary traits are controlled by particulate
factors.
• These particulate factors (called genes) are present in the cells of
organisms
• These genes can be passed from parents to offspring also known as
children, descendants, progeny
• Generally, sexually reproducing organisms are diploid meaning they have
two sets of chromosomes:
• One set was inherited from the mother and the other set came from the
father
• A diploid organism carries two genes
• Each gene is called an allele for the same trait

Genome-is a complete set of genes and chromosomes inherited as a group from one
parent

Genotype-of an organism is the kind of hereditary material (genes) that the

organism inherited from its parent

Phenotype-is the various observable features by which we recognize an organism

In the individual organism, the two alleles from two parents are either identical
or not identical.

Homozygous - The organism has two identical alleles (AA, a) for the particular
characteristic

Heterozygous - The organism has two different allelic forms of a particular gene
(Aa) these two different alleles interact to determine a characteristic

Dominant allele - Expresses itself and masks the effect of the other alleles for
the trait

Recessive allele - Not manifested when present with another allele

MENDEL'S PRINCIPLES OF HEREDITY

Heredity- is the transmission of characteristics from parents to offspring