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Ch. 14 - Mendel and the Gene
Chapter 14, Problem 9

In parakeets, two autosomal genes that are located on different chromosomes control the production of feather pigment. Gene B codes for an enzyme that is required for the synthesis of a blue pigment, and gene Y codes for an enzyme required for the synthesis of a yellow pigment. Green results from a mixture of yellow and blue pigments, and recessive mutations that prevent production of either pigment are known for both genes. Suppose that a breeder has two green parakeets and mates them. The offspring are green, blue, yellow, and albino (unpigmented). Based on this observation, what are the genotypes of the green parents? What genotypes produce each color in the offspring? What fraction of the progeny should exhibit each type of color?

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Identify the dominant and recessive alleles: Let B represent the dominant allele for blue pigment production and b the recessive allele that prevents blue pigment production. Similarly, let Y represent the dominant allele for yellow pigment production and y the recessive allele that prevents yellow pigment production.
Determine the genotype of green parakeets: Since green is a mixture of blue and yellow, and both parents are green, they must be able to produce both pigments. Therefore, the genotype of each green parent must include at least one dominant allele of each gene, making them BbYy.
Analyze the possible gametes and offspring: The green parents can produce gametes BY, By, bY, and by. Using a Punnett square, cross the gametes of both parents to find the genotypes of the offspring: BBYY (green), BBYy (green), BbYY (green), BbYy (green), BByy (blue), Bbyy (blue), bbYY (yellow), bbYy (yellow), and bbyy (albino).
Calculate the phenotypic ratios of the offspring: From the Punnett square, 9/16 of the offspring are green (BBYY, BBYy, BbYY, BbYy), 3/16 are blue (BByy, Bbyy), 3/16 are yellow (bbYY, bbYy), and 1/16 are albino (bbyy).
Summarize the findings: The green parents have the genotype BbYy. The genotypes that produce green are BBYY, BBYy, BbYY, BbYy; blue are BByy, Bbyy; yellow are bbYY, bbYy; and albino are bbyy. The expected fraction of progeny is 9/16 green, 3/16 blue, 3/16 yellow, and 1/16 albino.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Mendelian Genetics

Mendelian genetics is the study of how traits are inherited through the actions of alleles, which are different forms of a gene. It is based on Gregor Mendel's principles, including the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment. In this context, understanding how alleles for the genes controlling feather pigment interact is crucial for predicting the offspring's phenotypes.
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Autosomal Inheritance

Autosomal inheritance refers to the transmission of genes located on the autosomes, which are the non-sex chromosomes. In the case of the parakeets, the genes for blue and yellow pigments are located on different autosomes. This means that the inheritance patterns of these traits can be analyzed independently, allowing for the prediction of offspring colors based on the parental genotypes.
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Phenotypic Ratios

Phenotypic ratios describe the relative frequencies of different phenotypes in the offspring resulting from a genetic cross. By applying the principles of probability to the genotypes of the green parakeets, one can calculate the expected ratios of green, blue, yellow, and albino offspring. This involves understanding how dominant and recessive alleles interact to produce observable traits.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

In garden peas, yellow seeds (Y) are dominant to green seeds (y), and inflated pods (I) are dominant to constricted pods (i). Suppose you have crossed YYII parents with yyii parents. Draw the F1 Punnett square and predict the expected F1 phenotype(s).

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Textbook Question

In garden peas, yellow seeds (Y) are dominant to green seeds (y), and inflated pods (I) are dominant to constricted pods (i). Suppose you have crossed YYII parents with yyii parents. List the genotype(s) of gametes produced by F1 individuals.

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Textbook Question

In garden peas, yellow seeds (Y) are dominant to green seeds (y), and inflated pods (I) are dominant to constricted pods (i). Suppose you have crossed YYII parents with yyii parents. Draw the F2 Punnett square. Based on this Punnett square, predict the expected phenotype(s) in the F2 generation and the expected frequency of each phenotype.

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Textbook Question

Imagine repeating the experiment on epigenetic inheritance that is shown in Figure 19.6. You measure the amount of radioactive uridine (U) incorporated into Hnf4a mRNA in counts per minute (cpm) to determine the level of Hnf4a gene transcription in rats born to mothers fed either a normal diet or a low-protein diet. The results are 11,478 cpm for the normal diet and 7368 cpm for the low-protein diet. For this problem, your task is to prepare a graph similar to the one at the bottom of Figure 19.6 that shows the normalized results for the low-protein diet relative to the normal diet. Normalizing values means that the value obtained from one condition is expressed as 1.0 (the norm; the normal diet in this case) and the values obtained from any other conditions (low-protein diet in this case) are expressed as decimal values relative to the norm.

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Textbook Question

The smooth feathers on the back of the neck in pigeons can be reversed by a mutation to produce a 'crested' appearance in which feathers form a distinctive spike at the back of the head. A pigeon breeder examined offspring produced by a single pair of non-crested birds and recorded the following: 22 non-crested and 7 crested. She then made a series of crosses using offspring from the first cross. When she crossed two of the crested birds, all 20 of the offspring were crested. When she crossed a non-crested bird with a crested bird, 7 offspring were non-crested and 6 were crested. For these three crosses, provide genotypes for parents and offspring that are consistent with these results.

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Textbook Question

The smooth feathers on the back of the neck in pigeons can be reversed by a mutation to produce a 'crested' appearance in which feathers form a distinctive spike at the back of the head. A pigeon breeder examined offspring produced by a single pair of non-crested birds and recorded the following: 22 non-crested and 7 crested. She then made a series of crosses using offspring from the first cross. When she crossed two of the crested birds, all 20 of the offspring were crested. When she crossed a non-crested bird with a crested bird, 7 offspring were non-crested and 6 were crested. Which allele is dominant?

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