Dominant and recessive traits work together based on the basic rules of inheritance first described by a scientist named Mendel. These traits are mainly influenced by the genes, or alleles, that living things get from their parents.
Dominant Trait: This is a gene that shows its effect even when only one copy is present (like "A").
Recessive Trait: This is a gene that only shows its effect when two copies are present (like "a").
Genotype: This is the specific set of genes an organism has (for example, "AA", "Aa", or "aa").
Phenotype: These are the visible traits or characteristics that come from the genotype.
A Punnett square is a simple tool that helps predict how genes combine in the offspring. For example, if one parent has two dominant genes (AA) and the other parent has two recessive genes (aa), all the offspring will have the genotype "Aa".
When looking at a single trait (monohybrid cross):
The ratio of dominant traits to recessive traits in the next generation (called the F2 generation) is usually 3:1. This happens when both parents have one dominant and one recessive gene (like "Aa" x "Aa").
This means that about 75% of the offspring will show the dominant trait, while about 25% will show the recessive trait.
These simple rules help us understand how dominant traits can cover up the effects of recessive traits, shaping what we see on the outside (the phenotype) of living things.
Dominant and recessive traits work together based on the basic rules of inheritance first described by a scientist named Mendel. These traits are mainly influenced by the genes, or alleles, that living things get from their parents.
Dominant Trait: This is a gene that shows its effect even when only one copy is present (like "A").
Recessive Trait: This is a gene that only shows its effect when two copies are present (like "a").
Genotype: This is the specific set of genes an organism has (for example, "AA", "Aa", or "aa").
Phenotype: These are the visible traits or characteristics that come from the genotype.
A Punnett square is a simple tool that helps predict how genes combine in the offspring. For example, if one parent has two dominant genes (AA) and the other parent has two recessive genes (aa), all the offspring will have the genotype "Aa".
When looking at a single trait (monohybrid cross):
The ratio of dominant traits to recessive traits in the next generation (called the F2 generation) is usually 3:1. This happens when both parents have one dominant and one recessive gene (like "Aa" x "Aa").
This means that about 75% of the offspring will show the dominant trait, while about 25% will show the recessive trait.
These simple rules help us understand how dominant traits can cover up the effects of recessive traits, shaping what we see on the outside (the phenotype) of living things.