Genetics

  Think about everything you observed & learned in Biology 101L during the Genetics module. If you had to pick ONE thing as the highlight of this module, what would it be, and why? It could be something that surprised you, something that you found particularly compelling, or just something new that you learned. Make sure that your answer is your own, original response Review the rubric to see the criteria that will be used to grade your response Note that plagiarism of any kind will result in a zero! Your response should be approximately 150-250 words (a short paragraph) Topic Review: Inheritance DNA in every cell contains all the instructions needed for that cell to function. The process of gene expression that drives cell operations is the focus of another topic review, but this topic review will focus on how this DNA is passed on to offspring. Traits are the various inherited characteristics that may be observed. Some traits are easy to see just by looking at an individual, while others require special equipment or tests. Each trait is produced by one or more genes, often with a significant influence of environmental factors. Offspring inherit their traits from their parents, but they are not identical to either parent. We'll use some Amoeba Sisters videos to review these key topics (since animation is more interesting than just a list of terms). Although the video includes some detail that you won't need, a basic understanding of the following terms is useful. Be on the lookout for these terms as you watch these two videos: Trait Gene Allele Dominant allele Recessive allele Homozygote Heterozygote Phenotype Genotype You'll be using these terms as part of the inheritance simulation you'll be perform during the module discussion on Zoom. Introduction to DNA, Chromosomes & Heredity (Links to an external site.) Alleles & Genes (Links to an external site.) In the video example, the narrator's phenotype was an inability to taste PTC. Since the ability to taste PTC is dominant, this means that the narrator's genotype must have only recessive alleles, "tt" in the video. When a genotype contains two copies of the same allele, we call that a homozygous genotype, or say that that individual is a homozygote for that trait. Her parents, in contrast, each had one copy of the dominant allele, and one copy of the recessive allele, so they both had heterozygous genotypes. You & your classmates will be evaluating some easily observable traits, then using these to simulate inheritance by creating "virtual offspring". Although it is not required, you may also want to review how to use a Punnett square for a single gene.