Lesson 2 | Understanding Inheritance

Student Labs and Activities Page

Launch Lab 26
Content Vocabulary 27
Lesson Outline 28
MiniLab 30
Content Practice A 31
Content Practice B 32
Language Arts Support 33
School to Home 35
Key Concept Builders 36
Enrichment 40
Challenge 41
Skill Practice 42
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Launch Lab LESSON 2: 15 minutes

What is the span of your hand?

Mendel discovered that some traits have a simple pattern of inheritance—dominant or
recessive. However, some traits, such as eye color, have more variation. Is human hand span
a Mendelian trait?

Procedure
1. Read and complete a lab safety form. hand stretched out. Record your
measurement below.
2. Use a metric ruler to measure the
distance (in cm) between the tips of 3. As a class, record everyone’s name and
your thumb and little finger with your hand span in a data table.

Data and Observations

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Think About This
1. What range of hand span measurements did you observe?

2. Key Concept Do you think hand span is a simple Mendelian trait like pea plant
flower color?

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Content Vocabulary LESSON 2

Understanding Inheritance
Directions: Answer each question or respond to each statement on the lines provided. Use complete sentences.

1. What is the difference between a phenotype and a genotype?

2. What does the term conclude mean?

3. Describe the difference between a homozygous genotype and a heterozygous

genotype.

4. How does incomplete dominance differ from codominance?

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5. What is the relationship between an allele and a gene?

6. What is the purpose of a Punnett square?

7. Give an example of a trait that is passed through polygenic inheritance.

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Lesson Outline LESSON 2

Understanding Inheritance
A. What controls traits?
1. Inside each cell is a nucleus that contains threadlike structures
called .
2. Mendel’s factors are parts of chromosomes, and each cell in the offspring contains
chromosomes from both .
3. A(n) is a section on a chromosome that has genetic
information for one trait.
4. The different forms of a gene are called .
5. Geneticists refer to how a trait appears, or is expressed, as the
trait’s .
6. The two alleles that control the phenotype of a trait are called the
trait’s .
a. In genetics, letters represent dominant alleles, and
letters represent recessive alleles.
b. When two alleles of a gene are the same, its genotype is .

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c. If two alleles of a gene are different, its genotype is .

B. Modeling Inheritance
1. In a situation based on chance, such as flipping a coin, the chance of getting
a certain outcome can be represented by a(n) such
as 50:50, or 1:1.
2. A(n) is a model that is used to predict possible
genotypes and phenotypes of offspring.
a. To create a Punnett square, you need to know the
of both parents.
b. If you count large numbers of from a particular cross,
the overall ratio will be close to the ratio predicted by a Punnett square.
3. A(n) is a diagram that shows phenotypes of genetically
related family members. It also gives clues about their .

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Lesson Outline continued

C. Complex Patterns of Inheritance

1. Alleles show when the offspring’s phenotype is a blend
of the parents’ phenotypes.
2. Alleles show when both alleles can be observed in a
phenotype.
3. Unlike the genes in Mendel’s pea plants, some genes have
alleles.
4. ABO type is a trait that is determined by multiple
alleles.
5. occurs when multiple genes determine the phenotype
of a trait.
6. Human eye is an example of polygenic inheritance.

D. Genes and the Environment

1. are not the only factors that can affect phenotypes.
An organism’s can also affect its phenotype.
2. The flower color of one type of hydrangea is determined by the
in which the hydrangea grows.
3. choices can affect a person’s phenotype.
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Genetics 29
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MiniLab LESSON 2: 20 minutes

Can you infer genotype?

If you know that dragon traits are either dominant or recessive, can you use phenotypes
of traits to infer genotypes?

Procedure
1. Select one trait card from each of
Dragon Traits
three dragon trait bags. Record the
data in your Science Journal. Phenotype Homozygous Heterozygous
2. Draw a picture of your dragon based on Green body
your data. Label each trait homozygous
or heterozygous. Red body

3. For each of the three traits, place one Four legs

check mark in the appropriate box.
Two legs
4. Combine your data with your
classmates’ data. Long wings

Short wings

Analyze and Conclude

1. Describe any patterns you find in the data table.

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2. Determine which trait is dominant and which is recessive. Support your reasoning.

3. Determine the genotype(s) for each phenotype. Support your reasoning.

4. Key Concept Decide whether you could have correctly determined your dragon’s
genotype without data from other dragons. Support your reasoning.

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Content Practice A LESSON 2

Understanding Inheritance
Directions: On the line before each definition, write the letter of the term that matches it correctly. Each
term is used only once.

1. threadlike structures in cells A. dominance

2. contain instructions for traits B. pedigree

C. genotype
3. two different forms of a gene
D. heterozygous
4. outward appearance
E. chromosomes
5. determines outward appearance
F. codominance
6. represented by uppercase letters G. homozygous
7. represented by lowercase letters H. incomplete dominance
8. RR I. genes

9. Rr J. environmental factors
K. alleles
10. shows possible outcomes of genetic crosses
L. multiple alleles
11. shows inherited traits in a family
M. recessiveness
12. produces a blend of the parents’ phenotypes
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N. polygenic inheritance
13. when both alleles are expressed O. Punnett square
14. determines human blood type P. phenotype
15. when multiple genes determine a phenotype

16. can sometimes influence expression of genes

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Content Practice B LESSON 2

Understanding Inheritance
Directions: On the line before each statement, write the letter of the correct answer.

1. Segments of chromosomes that contain coded information for an organism’s

traits are called
A. cells.
B. genes.
C. alleles.
D. genotypes.

2. The outward expression, or appearance, of a genetic trait is its

A. allele.
B. pedigree.
C. phenotype.
D. inheritance.

3. The designation Rr for a pea-plant’s peas shows that the plant is

A. purple.
B. a hybrid.
C. homozygous.
D. a true-breeding plant.

4. A model that is used to show possible outcomes of cross-breeding is a

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A. ratio.
B. coin toss.
C. pedigree.
D. Punnett square.
5. A cow with red hairs and white hairs in its coat is an example of
A. codominance.
B. multiple alleles.
C. polygenic inheritance.
D. incomplete dominance.

6. Variations in people’s height and eye color are due to

A. codominance.
B. multiple alleles.
C. polygenic inheritance.
D. incomplete dominance.

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Language Arts Support LESSON 2

Reader’s Theater
An Interview with Gregor Mendel

CHARACTERS: Reporter, Gregor Mendel

Reporter: Good evening. Tonight we have a special guest in our studio. His name is Gregor
Mendel. Mr. Mendel was an Austrian friar and a scientific researcher more than 150 years
ago. He traveled in a time machine to get to our interview today. Thank you for coming.

Gregor Mendel: It was a long journey, but I’m glad to be here.

Reporter: Our viewers are interested to hear about how your study of peas changed the
way we view heredity.

Gregor Mendel: I’m glad to hear that my work is important. I started my research in the
1850s.

Reporter: I have some questions I’d like to ask you, if you don’t mind.
Gregor Mendel: No, I don’t mind. Ask any question you’d like.
Reporter: My first question concerns your choice of plants. Why did you use pea plants?
Gregor Mendel: Pea plants grow and reproduce quickly, so I was able to breed many plants
in a short period of time. Also, they have a wide variety of traits, or characteristics, so I was
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easily able to record the results of the cross-pollination of different varieties. I studied many
generations of pea plants to reach my conclusions. My colleagues at the monastery used to
grumble because we ate so many peas.

Reporter: Now I understand why you used peas. Can you describe cross-pollination?
Gregor Mendel: I transferred pollen from the flowers on certain plants to the flowers on
other plants. For example, I transferred pollen from short-stemmed pea plants to other
short-stemmed pea plants. I noted that the offspring from this combination were always
short-stemmed, just like the parents. When I crossed tall-stemmed plants with other tall-
stemmed plants, however, I noted that tall and short plants grew. To me, this meant that
the short-stemmed trait must be present somewhere in the genetic makeup of the tall-
stemmed pea plants.

Reporter: And for those of us who don’t have a background in genetics, what did you
conclude from your experiments?

Gregor Mendel: I determined that each parent pea plant must contain two characteristics
for a particular trait. When two plants with different traits, such as tall and short stems,
were bred, the offspring showed only one of the traits. This was then called the dominant
trait, and the trait that did not appear was called recessive.

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Reader’s Theater continued

Reporter: How do you think the traits are inherited?

Gregor Mendel: From the evidence I gathered in my research, I concluded that each parent
contributes one factor to the plant in the offspring generation. So, the offspring in the first
filial generation gets one factor from the female parent and one factor from the male
parent. The two factors interact to produce the resulting trait.

Reporter: Why is this called the study of heredity? What was it about your experiments
that changed the way we look at heredity today?

Gregor Mendel: Until the time I conducted my research, people believed that the blending
of traits resulted when two complex life-forms such as plants reproduced. I disproved that
hypothesis by crossing two different flower colors, for example. I never saw a mixture of
purplish-white flowers on a plant. The result was always purple or white.

Reporter: Can you give us an example with humans?

Gregor Mendel: Sure. Some people have unattached earlobes; that is, a part of the lobe
hangs down from the side of the head. This is a dominant trait. The recessive trait is an
attached earlobe. The lower part of this type of earlobe attaches directly to the side of the
head. If a person’s mother has attached earlobes and the father has unattached earlobes,
then the person will have attached or unattached earlobes, but not something in between.
Not all traits follow such simple patterns of inheritance, but some do.

Reporter: Well, we hope you are aware that your work is important to the scientific

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community, although not everyone recognized your findings during your time. By 1900
your work was recognized as important to the world of biology, specifically to the study of
genetics. Thanks again for your time this evening. We are fortunate to have had this
opportunity to speak with you, Mr. Mendel. Have a pleasant trip back through history.

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School to Home LESSON 2

Understanding Inheritance
For this activity, you will need the tables below and a pencil. Refer to your textbook as needed.
A farmer who raises vegetables wants to cross two types of corn plants. One type is a
homozygous plant with red kernels (RR) and the other is a homozygous plant with white
kernels (rr). For these plants, red color is dominant and white color is recessive. Fill in the
Punnett square below to predict the offspring the farmer should expect.

1. Using the Punnett square, predict the color of the corn kernels. Will the plants produce
all red kernels, all white kernels, or a mixture of both colors?

2. What would be the ratio of red corn to white corn in the offspring?
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Next, the farmer cross-pollinates the red hybrid (Rr) offspring. Complete the Punnett
square below for this cross.

3. Using the Punnett square, predict the color of the corn kernels. Will the plants produce
all red kernels, all white kernels, or a mixture of both colors?

4. What would be the ratio of plants with red kernels to plants with white kernels
in the offspring?

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Key Concept Builder LESSON 2

Understanding Inheritance
Key Concept What determines the expression of traits?

Directions: On each line, write the term from the word bank that correctly completes each sentence. Some terms
may be used more than once.

alleles chromosomes dominant genes genotype

heterozygous homozygous phenotype recessive

1. An organism’s are located on threadlike structures

called .

2. The different forms of are called .

3. A trait’s is its observable expression in the organism.

4. The observable expression of a trait is determined by its .

5. When an organism has two for a certain trait that are the

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same, the of that trait is said to
be .

6. When the two are different, the

is said to be .

7. The genotype Rr results in a round pea, because the round

pea allele is to the wrinkled pea allele.

8. The wrinkled pea phenotype is and has the

genotype rr.

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Key Concept Builder LESSON 2

Understanding Inheritance
Key Concept What determines the expression of traits?

Directions: The ozmox is a fictional creature with a variety of traits. Study the list of ozmox alleles for the seven
traits below. Then look at the genotypes of a particular ozmox named Glork. Using that information, write Glork’s
phenotype for each trait on the lines provided.

Ozmox alleles:
Hair—shaggy (S); short-haired (s)
Nose—orange (O); green (o)
Tail—long (L); stubby (l)
Teeth—pointed (P); rounded (p)
Claws—curved (C); straight (c)
Eyes—red (R); blue (r)
Ears—big (B); small (b)
Glork’s genotypes: Ss, oo, LL, Pp, cc, rr, BB

1. Hair:

2. Nose:
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3. Tail:

4. Teeth:

5. Claws:

6. Eyes:

7. Ears:

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Key Concept Builder LESSON 2

Understanding Inheritance
Key Concept How can inheritance be modeled?

A Punnett square is a model used to predict the possible outcomes of genetic crosses
between organisms when their genotypes are known.

Directions: Complete the Punnett squares below.

1. Show a first-generation cross between two P P

true-breeding pea plants—one with purple
flowers (genotype PP) and one with white p
flowers (genotype pp).

2. Show a second-generation (hybrid) cross P p

between two of the plants from the
first-generation cross. p

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p

Directions: Answer each question on the lines provided.

3. What percentage of the offspring from the first-generation cross is likely to have purple
flowers? White flowers?

4. What percentage of the offspring from the second-generation cross is likely to have
purple flowers? White flowers?

5. What is the chance, in the form of a ratio, that the offspring from the second-
generation cross have purple flowers?

6. What is a pedigree?

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Key Concept Builder LESSON 2

Understanding Inheritance
Key Concept How do some patterns of inheritance differ from Mendel’s model?

Directions: Complete this spider map with information about the four kinds of complex patterns of inheritance
discussed in the lesson. On each top line, list one of the patterns. On each bottom line, give an example of a trait
produced by that type of inheritance.

1. 2.

Complex
Patterns of
Inheritance

3. 4.
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Directions: Answer each question on the lines provided.

5. What are three environmental factors that can influence plant phenotypes?

6. What causes a Siamese cat to have dark fur on some parts of its body?

7. Which factor determines the wing pattern and coloration of the map butterfly?

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Enrichment LESSON 2

GM Crops
In Colorado, the potato beetle plagued African, and Latin American countries
potato crops for years. Potato beetles where hunger and malnutrition are
would eat an entire field, leaving nothing epidemic. Scientists are focusing on
but stems. developing GM crops that are more
In the past, farmers used chemical nutritious and more disease-resistant. For
pesticides to control the beetle. But example, researchers have developed a rice
pesticides can contaminate soil and water. plant that contains iron and vitamin A,
Some pesticides are linked to cancer. and a genetically altered sweet potato that
Farmers were left with a difficult choice— resists a destructive virus.
use chemicals that could potentially pollute
the land or let the beetle destroy the potato Concerns over GM Crops
crop. GM crops hold much promise for
Fortunately, scientists gave farmers a reducing malnutrition and starvation.
third option—a “smarter” potato that could However, their use raises several concerns.
fend off the beetle on its own. The genes of GM plants might cross-fertilize
with wild plants and create “superweeds.”
Gene Modification These superweeds could become resistant to
Researchers developed the disease- herbicides and compete with food crops for
resistant potato using gene modification. limited space. In addition, pests targeted by
Gene modification is a type of disease-resistant GM crops might mutate
biotechnology that is used to improve and become even more difficult to control.

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plants, animals, and microorganisms. In There are also concerns for human
the case of the potato, researchers inserted safety. Opponents fear that allergies and
a gene that changed the DNA of the other illnesses could result from eating GM
potato. The potato now contains an crops. They point out that scientists likely
organic pesticide, or biopesticide, that is do not know all the potential effects of
deadly to the beetle. these crops on humans and the
Approximately 56 million hectares of environment. Already, studies indicate that
American farmland are planted with the pollen from one variety of GM corn
genetically modified (GM) crops. Use of the kills the caterpillar Danaus plexippus, the
technology is increasing in certain Asian, larva of the monarch butterfly.

Applying Critical-Thinking Skills

Directions: Answer each question.

1. Summarize What problems prompted scientists to begin developing GM crops?

2. Evaluate Do you think the use of GM crops should be expanded? Why?

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Challenge LESSON 2

Analyze a Punnett Square for Two Traits

In peas, round shape (R) is dominant over wrinkled shape (r), and yellow color (Y) is
dominant over green (y). Suppose that a pea plant that has genotype RrYy is crossed with
a pea plant that has genotype rrYy. Fill in the Punnett square below to predict the possible
phenotypes and genotypes of the offspring. Then analyze the Punnett square. How
many different phenotypes and genotypes are possible?

RY Ry rY ry

rY

ry
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rY

ry

Genetics 41
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Skill Practice Model LESSON 2: 25 minutes

How can you use Punnett squares to model inheritance?

Geneticists use models to explain how traits are inherited from one generation to the next.
A simple model of Mendelian inheritance is a Punnett square. A Punnett square is a model
of reproduction between two parents and the possible genotypes and phenotypes of the
resulting offspring. It also models the probability that each genotype will occur.

Learn It
In science, a model is a representation of how something in the natural world works.
A model is used to explain or predict a natural process. Maps, diagrams, three-dimensional
representations, and mathematical formulas can be used to help model nature.

Try It
1. Use the Punnett square on this page to complete a
cross between a fruit fly with straight wings (cc) and
C C
a fruit fly with curly wings (CC).
2. According to your Punnett square, which genotypes c Cc
are possible in the offspring?

c
3. Using the information in your Punnett square,
calculate the ratio of the dominant phenotype

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to the recessive phenotype in the offspring.

Apply It
4. Based on the information in your Punnett square, how many offspring will have curly
wings? Straight wings?
5. If you switch the locations of the parent genotypes around the Punnett square, does it
affect the potential genotypes of their offspring? Explain.

6. Key Concept Design and complete a Punnett square to model a cross between
two fruit flies that are heterozygous for curly wings (Cc). What are the phenotypic
ratios of the offspring?

42 Genetics