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Ch. 14 - Mendel and the Gene
Freeman - Biological Science 8th Edition
Freeman8th EditionBiological ScienceISBN: 9780138276263Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 14, Problem 7

In flies, small wings are recessive to normal wings. If a cross between two flies produces 8 small-wing offspring and 28 normal-wing offspring, what are the most likely genotypes of the parents? (Use S to represent the normal-wing allele and s to represent the short-wing allele.)

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Step 1: Understand the inheritance pattern. The problem states that small wings are recessive to normal wings. This means that the allele for normal wings (S) is dominant, and the allele for small wings (s) is recessive. For a fly to have small wings, it must inherit two recessive alleles (ss).
Step 2: Analyze the offspring ratio. The cross produces 8 small-wing offspring and 28 normal-wing offspring. Calculate the ratio of small-wing to normal-wing offspring: 8 small-wing : 28 normal-wing. Simplify this ratio to determine the proportion of phenotypes.
Step 3: Use the phenotypic ratio to infer the genotypes of the parents. A 3:1 ratio of dominant to recessive phenotypes is typical for a monohybrid cross where both parents are heterozygous (Ss). This is because heterozygous parents produce offspring with the following genotypic ratios: 1 SS (normal wings), 2 Ss (normal wings), and 1 ss (small wings).
Step 4: Confirm the genotypes of the parents. If both parents are heterozygous (Ss), their offspring would include 75% normal-wing flies (SS and Ss) and 25% small-wing flies (ss), which matches the observed ratio of 28 normal-wing to 8 small-wing offspring.
Step 5: Conclude that the most likely genotypes of the parents are Ss (heterozygous for normal wings), as this explains the observed phenotypic ratio in the offspring.

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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 generations based on the principles established by Gregor Mendel. It involves understanding dominant and recessive alleles, where dominant alleles mask the expression of recessive ones. In this case, the normal-wing allele (S) is dominant over the small-wing allele (s), influencing the phenotypic ratios observed in offspring.
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Genotype and Phenotype

The genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an organism, while the phenotype is the observable physical or biochemical characteristics resulting from the genotype. In this scenario, the phenotypes of the offspring (small and normal wings) provide clues about the genotypes of the parent flies, allowing us to deduce their genetic combinations based on the observed ratios.
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Punnett Square

A Punnett square is a diagram used to predict the genetic outcomes of a cross between two organisms. It helps visualize the possible combinations of alleles from each parent, allowing for the calculation of expected phenotypic ratios. By applying a Punnett square to the given offspring ratios, we can infer the most likely genotypes of the parent flies involved in the cross.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Two black female mice are crossed with a brown male. In several litters, female I produced 9 black offspring and 7 brown; female II produced 57 black offspring. What deductions can you make about the inheritance of black and brown coat color in mice? What are the genotypes of the parents?

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Textbook Question

A plant with orange, spotted flowers was grown in the greenhouse from a seed collected in the wild. The plant was self-pollinated and gave rise to the following progeny: 88 orange with spots, 34 yellow with spots, 32 orange with no spots, and 8 yellow with no spots. What can you conclude about the dominance relationships of the alleles responsible for the spotted and unspotted phenotypes? What can you conclude about the genotype of the original plant that had orange, spotted flowers?

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Textbook Question

In peas, purple flowers are dominant to white. If a purple-flowered, heterozygous plant were crossed with a white-flowered plant, what is the expected ratio of genotypes and phenotypes among the F1 offspring? If two of the purple-flowered F1 offspring were randomly selected and crossed, what is the expected ratio of genotypes and phenotypes among the F2 offspring?

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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 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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