Problem 1
DRAW IT A pea plant heterozygous for inflated pods (Ii) is crossed with a plant homozygous for constricted pods (ii). Draw a Punnett square for this cross to predict genotypic and phenotypic ratios. Assume that pollen comes from the ii plant.
Problem 2
A man with type A blood marries a woman with type B blood. Their child has type O blood. What are the genotypes of these three individuals? What genotypes, and in what frequencies, would you expect in future offspring from this marriage?
Problem 4
DRAW IT Two pea plants heterozygous for the characters of pod color and pod shape are crossed. Draw a Punnett square to determine the phenotypic ratios of the offspring.
Problem 5
Flower position, stem length, and seed shape are three characters that Mendel studied. Each is controlled by an independently assorting gene and has dominant and recessive expression as indicated in Table 14.1. If a plant that is heterozygous for all three characters is allowed to self-fertilize, what proportion of the offspring would you expect to be each of the following? (Note: Use the rules of probability instead of a huge Punnett square.) a. homozygous for the three dominant traits b. homozygous for the three recessive traits c. heterozygous for all three characters d. homozygous for axial and tall, heterozygous for seed shape
Problem 6
Hemochromatosis is an inherited disease caused by a recessive allele. If a woman and her husband, who are both carriers, have three children, what is the probability of each of the following? a. All three children are of normal phenotype. b. One or more of the three children have the disease. c. All three children have the disease. d. At least one child is phenotypically normal.
Problem 7
The genotype of F1 individuals in a tetrahybrid cross is AaBbCcDd. Assuming independent assortment of these four genes, what are the probabilities that F2 offspring will have the following genotypes? a. aabbccdd b. AaBbCcDd c. AABBCCDD d. AaBBccDd e. AaBBCCdd
Problem 8
What is the probability that each of the following pairs of parents will produce the indicated offspring? (Assume independent assortment of all gene pairs.) a. AABBCC×aabbcc→AaBbCc b. AABbCc×AaBbCc→AAbbCC c. AaBbCc×AaBbCc→AaBbCc d. aaBbCC×AABbcc→AaBbCc
Problem 9
Karen and Steve each have a sibling with sickle-cell disease. Neither Karen nor Steve nor any of their parents have the disease, and none of them have been tested to see if they carry the sickle-cell allele. Based on this incomplete information, calculate the probability that if this couple has a child, the child will have sickle-cell disease.
Problem 10
In 1981, a stray black cat with unusual rounded, curled-back ears was adopted by a family in California. Hundreds of descendants of the cat have since been born, and cat fanciers hope to develop the curl cat into a show breed. Suppose you owned the first curl cat and wanted to develop a true-breeding variety. How would you determine whether the curl allele is dominant or recessive? How would you obtain true-breeding curl cats? How could you be sure they are true-breeding?
Problem 11
In tigers, a recessive allele of a particular gene causes both an absence of fur pigmentation (a white tiger) and a cross-eyed condition. If two phenotypically normal tigers that are heterozygous at this locus are mated, what percentage of their offspring will be cross-eyed? What percentage of cross-eyed tigers will be white?
Problem 12
In maize (corn) plants, a dominant allele I inhibits kernel color, while the recessive allele i permits color when homozygous. At a different locus, the dominant allele P causes purple kernel color, while the homozygous recessive genotype pp causes red kernels. If plants heterozygous at both loci are crossed, what will be the phenotypic ratio of the offspring?
Problem 13
The pedigree below traces the inheritance of alkaptonuria, a biochemical disorder. Affected individuals, indicated here by the colored circles and squares, are unable to metabolize a substance called alkapton, which colors the urine and stains body tissues. Does alkaptonuria appear to be caused by a dominant allele or by a recessive allele? Fill in the genotypes of the individuals whose genotypes can be deduced. What genotypes are possible for each of the other individuals?
Problem 14
Imagine that you are a genetic counselor, and a couple planning to start a family comes to you for information. Charles was married once before, and he and his first wife had a child with cystic fibrosis. The brother of his current wife, Elaine, died of cystic fibrosis. What is the probability that Charles and Elaine will have a baby with cystic fibrosis? (Neither Charles, Elaine, nor their parents have cystic fibrosis.)
Ch. 14 - Mendel and the Gene Idea
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