16.2.2
Inheritance
Monohybrid Crosses
Monohybrid Crosses
When two parents that differ in only one characteristic breed, the process is called a monohybrid cross. Monohybrid crosses allow the genotype of offspring to be predicted.


Parental genotype
Parental genotype
- The first step in constructing a monohybrid cross involves identifying the parental genotypes.
- E.g. Two true-breeding pea plants have yellow or green peas.
- The dominant seed colour is green so the parental genotype is GG for green pea plants and gg for yellow pea plants.
- E.g. Two true-breeding pea plants have yellow or green peas.


Gamete alleles
Gamete alleles
- Gametes are haploid, so only one allele from each parent is found in the gametes.
- All possible combinations of the parental alleles should be identified. This represents the meiotic segregation into haploid gametes. In our pea plant example:
- 100% of the gametes of green pea plants will have G alleles.
- 100% of the gametes of yellow pea plants will have g alleles.
,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
F1 offspring
F1 offspring
- F1 offspring are the first generation of offspring.
- A monohybrid cross produces four different combinations of possible offspring.
- For the pea plants, both parents are homozygous. This means all the F1 offspring produced have a Gg genotype.


Gamete alleles
Gamete alleles
- The F1 pea plants have two different alleles. They are heterozygous.
- The gametes for an individual F1 offspring may contain either the G allele or the g allele.
- 50% of an organism's gametes will contain the G allele.
- 50% of an organism's gametes will contain the g allele.


F2 offspring
F2 offspring
- F2 offspring are the second generation of offspring.
- When the F1 pea plants breed, there are three possible genotypic combinations:
- GG
- Gg
- gg


Predicting genotypic ratios
Predicting genotypic ratios
- Monohybrid crosses allow predictions to be made about the genotypic and phenotypic ratios of offspring.
- In the pea plant example, the ratio of yellow peas to green peas is 3:1. A monohybrid cross between two heterozygotes will always produce this ratio.
- Monohybrid crosses can be drawn in two ways:
- Genetic diagrams.
- Punnett squares.
Dihybrid Crosses
Dihybrid Crosses
When two parents that differ in two characteristics breed, the process is called a dihybrid cross.


Independent assortment
Independent assortment
- Mendel proved that genes do not influence each other with regard to the sorting of alleles into gametes. This is called the law of independent assortment.
- The law of independent assortment means that genes separate independently of each other when gametes are made.
- The combination of alleles can be shown in a dihybrid cross.
,h_400,q_80,w_640.png)
,h_400,q_80,w_640.png)
Dihybrid gamete alleles
Dihybrid gamete alleles
- In a dihybrid cross between two homozygotes, there is one possible gamete allele combination for each homozygote.
- E.g. two pea plants differ in two characteristics: seed colour and seed texture. One plant has green, wrinkled seeds (yyrr) and one plant has yellow, round seeds (YYRR).
- 100% of the gametes of the green/wrinkled plant are yr.
- 100% of the gametes of the yellow/round plant are YR.
,h_400,q_80,w_640.png)
,h_400,q_80,w_640.png)
F1 offspring
F1 offspring
- When two homozygotes breed, all the F1 offspring have the same genotype.
- E.g. The offspring of the pea plants all have a YyRr genotype.


F1 gamete alleles
F1 gamete alleles
- The law of segregation predicts that each gamete in F1 generation has an equal probability of receiving any allele (e.g. R, r, Y or y).
- This means there are four possible combinations of gametes produced by the F1 offspring. For example:
- YR.
- Yr.
- yR.
- yr.


F2 offspring
F2 offspring
- When the F1 offspring breed, the four possible gametes from one individual can combine with any of the four possible gametes from the other individual.
- The total possible combinations in the F2 generation is 16.


Predicting phenotypic ratios
Predicting phenotypic ratios
- Dihybrid crosses can be used in this way to predict genotypic ratios of the F2 offspring.
- In the pea plant example, the ratio of offspring is:
- Nine round/yellow.
- Three round/green.
- Three wrinkled/yellow.
- One wrinkled/green.
- When two dihybrid heterozygotes breed, the ratio is always expected to be 9:3:3:1.
Codominance
Codominance
Codominance is where both alleles for the same characteristic are simultaneously expressed in the heterozygote. This can influence the outcome of monohybrid and dihybrid crosses.


Codominance
Codominance
- Codominant alleles are both expressed in a heterozygote.
- Neither of the alleles are recessive.
- Codominance influences the phenotypic ratios of monohybrid and dihybrid crosses.


E.g. sickle-cell anaemia
E.g. sickle-cell anaemia
- An example of codominance is sickle-cell anaemia.
- There are two alleles for sickle-cell anaemia:
- HN - normal haemoglobin.
- HS - sickle haemoglobin.


Sickle-cell phenotypes
Sickle-cell phenotypes
- People who have two copies of the HN allele (homozygotes) do not have sickle-cell anaemia.
- People who have two copies of the HS alleles (homozygotes) do have sickle-cell anaemia.
- People who have one HN allele and HS allele (heterozygotes) have both normal haemoglobin and sickled haemoglobin.
- HN and HS are codominant.
,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
Phenotypic ratios
Phenotypic ratios
- Codominance affects the phenotypic ratios of monohybrid and dihybrid crosses.
- E.g:
- If two heterozygous (HNHS) breed, the ratio becomes 1:2:1 instead of the normal 3:1 that is expected in a monohybrid cross.
1Cell Structure
1.1Cell Structure
1.1.1Studying Cells - Microscopes
1.1.2Introduction to Eukaryotic & Prokaryotic Cells
1.1.3Ultrastructure of Eukaryotic Cells
1.1.4Ultrastructure of Eukaryotic Cells 2
1.1.5Ultrastructure of Eukaryotic Cells 3
1.1.6Prokaryotic Cells
1.1.7Viruses
1.1.8End of Topic Test - Cell Structure
1.1.9Exam-Style Question - Microscopes
1.1.10A-A* (AO2/3) - Cell Structure
2Biological Molecules
2.1Testing for Biological Modules
2.2Carbohydrates & Lipids
2.3Proteins
3Enzymes
4Cell Membranes & Transport
4.1Biological Membranes
5The Mitotic Cell Cycle
6Nucleic Acids & Protein Synthesis
6.1Nucleic Acids
7Transport in Plants
8Transport in Mammals
8.1Circulatory System
8.2Transport of Oxygen & Carbon Dioxide
9Gas Exchange
9.1Gas Exchange System
10Infectious Diseases
10.1Infectious Diseases
10.2Antibiotics
11Immunity
12Energy & Respiration (A2 Only)
13Photosynthesis (A2 Only)
14Homeostasis (A2 Only)
14.1Homeostasis
14.2The Kidney
14.3Cell Signalling
14.4Blood Glucose Concentration
14.5Homeostasis in Plants
15Control & Coordination (A2 Only)
15.1Control & Coordination in Mammals
15.1.1Neurones
15.1.2Receptors
15.1.3Taste
15.1.4Reflexes
15.1.5Action Potentials
15.1.6Saltatory Conduction
15.1.7Synapses
15.1.8Cholinergic Synnapses
15.1.9Neuromuscular Junction
15.1.10Skeletal Muscle
15.1.11Sliding Filament Theory Contraction
15.1.12Sliding Filament Theory Contraction 2
15.1.13Menstruation
15.1.14Contraceptive Pill
15.2Control & Co-Ordination in Plants
16Inherited Change (A2 Only)
16.1Passage of Information to Offspring
16.2Genes & Phenotype
17Selection & Evolution (A2 Only)
17.2Natural & Artificial Selection
18Classification & Conservation (A2 Only)
18.1Biodiversity
18.2Classification
19Genetic Technology (A2 Only)
19.1Manipulating Genomes
19.2Genetic Technology Applied to Medicine
19.3Genetically Modified Organisms in Agriculture
Jump to other topics
1Cell Structure
1.1Cell Structure
1.1.1Studying Cells - Microscopes
1.1.2Introduction to Eukaryotic & Prokaryotic Cells
1.1.3Ultrastructure of Eukaryotic Cells
1.1.4Ultrastructure of Eukaryotic Cells 2
1.1.5Ultrastructure of Eukaryotic Cells 3
1.1.6Prokaryotic Cells
1.1.7Viruses
1.1.8End of Topic Test - Cell Structure
1.1.9Exam-Style Question - Microscopes
1.1.10A-A* (AO2/3) - Cell Structure
2Biological Molecules
2.1Testing for Biological Modules
2.2Carbohydrates & Lipids
2.3Proteins
3Enzymes
4Cell Membranes & Transport
4.1Biological Membranes
5The Mitotic Cell Cycle
6Nucleic Acids & Protein Synthesis
6.1Nucleic Acids
7Transport in Plants
8Transport in Mammals
8.1Circulatory System
8.2Transport of Oxygen & Carbon Dioxide
9Gas Exchange
9.1Gas Exchange System
10Infectious Diseases
10.1Infectious Diseases
10.2Antibiotics
11Immunity
12Energy & Respiration (A2 Only)
13Photosynthesis (A2 Only)
14Homeostasis (A2 Only)
14.1Homeostasis
14.2The Kidney
14.3Cell Signalling
14.4Blood Glucose Concentration
14.5Homeostasis in Plants
15Control & Coordination (A2 Only)
15.1Control & Coordination in Mammals
15.1.1Neurones
15.1.2Receptors
15.1.3Taste
15.1.4Reflexes
15.1.5Action Potentials
15.1.6Saltatory Conduction
15.1.7Synapses
15.1.8Cholinergic Synnapses
15.1.9Neuromuscular Junction
15.1.10Skeletal Muscle
15.1.11Sliding Filament Theory Contraction
15.1.12Sliding Filament Theory Contraction 2
15.1.13Menstruation
15.1.14Contraceptive Pill
15.2Control & Co-Ordination in Plants
16Inherited Change (A2 Only)
16.1Passage of Information to Offspring
16.2Genes & Phenotype
17Selection & Evolution (A2 Only)
17.2Natural & Artificial Selection
18Classification & Conservation (A2 Only)
18.1Biodiversity
18.2Classification
19Genetic Technology (A2 Only)
19.1Manipulating Genomes
19.2Genetic Technology Applied to Medicine
19.3Genetically Modified Organisms in Agriculture
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