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Ch. 4 - Extensions of Mendelian Genetics
Klug - Concepts of Genetics  12th Edition
Klug12th EditionConcepts of Genetics ISBN: 9780135564776Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 4, Problem 10

In chickens, a condition referred to as 'creeper' exists whereby the bird has very short legs and wings and appears to be creeping when it walks. If creepers are bred to normal chickens, one-half of the offspring are normal and one-half are creepers. Creepers never breed true. If bred together, they yield two-thirds creepers and one-third normal. Propose an explanation for the inheritance of this condition.

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1
Start by analyzing the inheritance pattern described in the problem. The fact that creepers never breed true and that breeding two creepers results in a 2:1 ratio of creepers to normal offspring suggests that this condition may involve a lethal allele.
Propose a genetic model: Assume that the 'creeper' condition is caused by a single gene with two alleles. Let 'C' represent the dominant allele for the creeper condition and 'c' represent the recessive allele for the normal condition. Hypothesize that the homozygous dominant genotype (C/C) is lethal, meaning individuals with this genotype do not survive.
Use the Punnett square to predict the offspring ratios when two creepers (C/c) are bred together. The possible genotypes are: C/C, C/c, and c/c. Since C/C is lethal, only the C/c (creeper) and c/c (normal) offspring will survive. This explains the observed 2:1 ratio of creepers to normal offspring.
Analyze the cross between a creeper (C/c) and a normal chicken (c/c). The Punnett square for this cross predicts a 1:1 ratio of C/c (creeper) to c/c (normal) offspring, which matches the observed results.
Conclude that the inheritance of the creeper condition is consistent with a single gene with a dominant allele (C) that is lethal in the homozygous state (C/C). This explains why creepers never breed true and why the observed offspring ratios occur in the described crosses.

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Key Concepts

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

Incomplete Dominance

Incomplete dominance occurs when the phenotype of heterozygotes is intermediate between the phenotypes of the two homozygotes. In the case of the 'creeper' condition in chickens, it suggests that the allele for short legs and wings does not completely dominate the normal allele, leading to a mix of normal and creeper offspring when bred with normal chickens.
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Lethal Alleles

Lethal alleles are alleles that can cause the death of an organism when present in a homozygous state. In this scenario, the creeper phenotype may be linked to a lethal allele that prevents creepers from breeding true, as the homozygous condition for the creeper trait could be lethal, resulting in a higher proportion of normal offspring when bred with normal chickens.
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Genotypic Ratios

Genotypic ratios describe the relative frequencies of different genotypes in the offspring of a genetic cross. The observed ratios of offspring in this case (1:1 when bred with normal chickens and 2:1 when bred with other creepers) indicate a specific inheritance pattern, suggesting that the creeper trait is influenced by a single gene with multiple alleles, leading to distinct ratios based on the parental genotypes.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
In a disputed parentage case, the child is blood type O, while the mother is blood type A. What blood type would exclude a male from being the father? Would the other blood types prove that a particular male was the father?
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The A and B antigens in humans may be found in water-soluble form in secretions, including saliva, of some individuals (Se/Se and Se/se) but not in others (se/se). The population thus contains 'secretors' and 'nonsecretors.'

Determine the proportion of various phenotypes (blood type and ability to secrete) in matings between individuals that are blood type AB and type O, both of whom are Se/se.

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Textbook Question

The A and B antigens in humans may be found in water-soluble form in secretions, including saliva, of some individuals (Se/Se and Se/se) but not in others (se/se). The population thus contains 'secretors' and 'nonsecretors.'

How will the results of such matings change if both parents are heterozygous for the gene controlling the synthesis of the H substance (Hh)?

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Textbook Question

In rabbits, a series of multiple alleles controls coat color in the following way: C is dominant to all other alleles and causes full color. The chinchilla phenotype is due to the cch allele, which is dominant to all alleles other than C. The ch allele, dominant only to (albino), results in the Himalayan coat color. Thus, the order of dominance is C > cch > ch > ca. For each of the following three cases, the phenotypes of the P1 generations of two crosses are shown, as well as the phenotype of one member of the F1 generation.

For each case, determine the genotypes of the P1 generation and the F1 offspring, and predict the results of making each indicated cross between F1 individuals.

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Textbook Question

Three gene pairs located on separate autosomes determine flower color and shape as well as plant height. The first pair exhibits incomplete dominance, where the color can be red, pink (the heterozygote), or white. The second pair leads to personate (dominant) or peloric (recessive) flower shape, while the third gene pair produces either the dominant tall trait or the recessive dwarf trait. Homozygous plants that are red, personate, and tall are crossed to those that are white, peloric, and dwarf. Determine the F₁ genotype(s) and phenotype(s). If the F₁ plants are interbred, what proportion of the offspring will exhibit the same phenotype as the F₁ plants?

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Textbook Question

Flower color may be red, white, or pink, and flower shape may be personate or peloric. For the following crosses, determine the P₁ and F₁ genotypes:

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