Gen Biology Genetics Review Guide

The test will cover Chapter 11 in the text. Despite being just one chapter there is a lot you should know. Things you should be easily able to discuss/define…

Who was Gregor Mendel?

What contributions to genetics did he make to our understanding of how we inherit traits?

What were his methods that allowed him to make his discoveries?

What is his theory of Independent Assortment?

Why would he have had a very difficult time if he had tried to do the same research using human study subjects rather than pea plants?

You should be able to recognize patterns of inheritance based on descriptions of the outcomes and vice versa.

What is the difference between genotype and phenotype? Between a gene and an allele?

You should be able to generate and interpret punnett squares for given traits and predict probable genetic outcomes using them. Be able to do this for single and two-trait crosses.
You should understand how probability is related to genetic outcomes.

You should also be familiar with, and be able to make predictions using other patterns of inheritance including incomplete dominance, codominance, and polygenic inheritance.

Why is it that lethal recessive genetic disorders continue to persist in our population even if they are lethal before reaching our reproductive age? Hint: think about the phenotypes of the parents of a child with a recessive disorder.

Why is sickle cell anemia so common in African Americans (much more than other recessive disorders for other ethnic groups)?

Critical Thinking: Why might inbreeding more frequently lead to recessive disorders? On a related note, why are purebred dogs more likely to have genetic problems than mutts?

How might we go about figuring out the genotype of an unknown individual who is of a dominant phenotype?

How do the events in meiosis relate to the rule of independent assortment?

How is meiosis similar to mitosis? How is it different? Think about purpose here as well as process.

Why is chromosome number reduced in meiosis (but not in mitosis)? How is it restored?

What is the value of meiosis to evolution?

Terms you should know (there are probably more, but….):

Purebred, P, F1, and F2 generations, Self Fertilization, Monohybrid Cross (single factor cross), Dihybrid Cross (two factor cross), Dominant, Recessive, Gene, Allele, Genotype, Phenotype, Trait,Punnett Square, Carrier, Recessive Disorder, Incomplete Dominance, Codominance, Pleiotropy, Polygenic Inheritance, Crossing Over, Homologous Chromosome, Sex Chromosome, Haploid, Diploid, Tetrad