Chapter: Principles of Inheritance and Variation

CBSE Revision Notes

Introduction:

 Inheritance is the process by which traits or characteristics are passed from

parents to offspring.
 Gregor Mendel is known as the father of genetics for his experiments on pea
plants, which laid the foundation for understanding the principles of inheritance.

Mendel's Laws of Inheritance:

Law of Segregation:
 Mendel proposed that individuals possess two factors (alleles) for each trait, and
these segregate during gamete formation.
 The factors segregate randomly, and each gamete receives only one of the two
alleles.
Law of Independent Assortment:
 Mendel observed that different traits segregate independently of each other
during gamete formation.
 This law applies only to genes located on different chromosomes or genes located
far apart on the same chromosome.

Extensions to Mendelian Genetics:

 Incomplete Dominance:
 In some cases, neither allele is completely dominant over the other, resulting in
an intermediate phenotype.
Co-dominance:
 In co-dominance, both alleles are expressed simultaneously, leading to the
expression of both traits.
Multiple Alleles:
 Some genes have more than two alleles in a population, creating multiple possible
phenotypes.
Pleiotropy:
 A single gene can influence multiple traits or phenotypes.
Polygenic Inheritance:
 Many traits are controlled by multiple genes, resulting in a continuous range of
phenotypes.


Sex-linked Inheritance:

 Certain genes are located on the sex chromosomes (X and Y), leading to distinct
inheritance patterns.

Sex-determination in Honey Bee

Human Genetic Disorders:

 Genetic disorders can result from mutations in genes or abnormalities in

chromosome structure or number.
 Examples include Down syndrome, hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, and color
blindness.