Chapter 3: Basic Principles of Heredity Flashcards
Who is the founder of modern genetics?
Gregor Mendel
How did Mendel first discover the principles of heredity?
Crossing different varieties of pea plants and analyzing the pattern of transmission of traits in subsequent generations
What did Mendel use in his studies? How many characteristics did it have? What is an interesting fact about these traits? Is it haploid or diploid?
- Pea plant (Pisum sativum)
- Seven characteristics
- All characteristics were controlled by one single gene (one locus, one allele)
- The plant was diploid (2n)
Why was the pea plant successful?
Because it was only diploid, unlike other plants (e.g. wheat)
What were the traits observed in the pea plant?
- Seed color
- Seed shape
- Seed coat color
- Pod color
- Pod shape
- Flower position
- Stem length
Define a gene.
Genetic factor (region of DNA) that helps determine a characteristic
Define an allele.
One of two or more alternate forms of a gene
Define a locus.
Specific place on a chromosome occupied by an allele
Define a genotype.
Set of alleles possessed by an individual organism
Define a heterozygote.
An individual organism possessing two different alleles at a locus
Define a homozygote.
An individual organism possessing two of the same alleles at a locus
Define a phenotype (trait).
The appearance or manifestation of a character
Define a character or characteristic.
An attribute or feature
At each locus, how many alleles does a diploid organism possess, located on different homologous chromosomes?
Two alleles
When peas with two different traits – round and wrinkled seeds – are crossed, will their progeny exhibit one of those traits, both of those traits, or a “blended” intermediate trait? What was Mendel’s experiment to answer this question?
- Removed the anthers from flowers to prevent self-fertilization
- Dusted the stigma with pollen from a different plant
- The pollen fertilized the ova, which developed into seeds, and the seeds grew into plants
- Reproduced the experiment
“Each individual organism possesses two alleles encoding a trait.” Which stage of meiosis does this observation from Mendel’s first law correspond to?
- Before meiosis
- Segregation (First Law)
“Alleles separate when gametes are formed.” Which stage of meiosis does this observation from Mendel’s first law correspond to?
- Anaphase I
- Segregation (First Law)
What constitutes the next generation in Mendel’s experiment?
The seeds (not the plants)