Mega Genetics Review
Summary
TLDRThe video script from the Amoeba Sisters dives into the complexities of biology, specifically genetics. It covers a range of topics from Mendelian genetics, including one-trait and two-trait crosses, to non-Mendelian inheritance patterns such as incomplete dominance, codominance, multiple alleles, and sex-linked traits. The importance of understanding genetic vocabulary and symbols is emphasized, and the concept of probability in genetic outcomes is clarified. The video also touches on the intricacies of genetic traits, including polygenic traits, pleiotropy, epistasis, and epigenetics. Practical examples like guinea pigs, cats, snapdragons, blood types, and hemophilia are used to illustrate various genetic principles. Pedigrees are introduced as a tool to track genetic traits across generations. The script encourages active learning with paper and pencil, and the use of the FOIL method for gamete combinations. It concludes with an invitation to explore further through additional resources and to appreciate the significance of genetics in real-life scenarios.
Takeaways
- 📚 Start with basics: A review of Mendelian genetics, including one-trait and two-trait crosses, is fundamental for understanding more complex genetic problems.
- 📈 Use tools effectively: A sheet of paper and a writing instrument are essential tools for working through genetic problems.
- 🧬 Genetic vocabulary: Familiarity with genetic terms is assumed, and understanding the concepts behind different symbols is crucial, not the symbols themselves.
- 🎯 Focus on concepts: When solving genetic problems, concentrate on the probabilities and concepts rather than getting hung up on specific notation variations.
- 🤔 Probability vs. certainty: Recognize that genetic outcomes are probabilities; a Punnett square shows possibilities, not certainties.
- 🧬 Complexity of genetics: Understand that genetics is more complex than simple traits, involving polygenic traits, pleiotropy, epistasis, and epigenetics.
- 🐷 Mendelian crosses: Learn how to complete genotypes and predict offspring ratios for monohybrid and dihybrid crosses.
- 🌹 Non-Mendelian inheritance: Grasp the concepts of incomplete dominance, codominance, and multiple alleles which deviate from simple Mendelian patterns.
- 🩸 Blood types example: Apply knowledge of multiple alleles using the example of blood types to understand the inheritance patterns.
- 🧬 Sex-linked traits: Know how to work with sex-linked traits, understanding the difference between X and Y chromosomes in determining traits.
- 👨👩👧👦 Pedigrees: Utilize pedigrees to track genetic traits through generations, applying knowledge of autosomal and sex-linked inheritance.
- 🔬 Real-world application: Connect genetic concepts to real-life scenarios to appreciate the significance and practicality of genetic studies.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video mentioned in the transcript?
-The video focuses on reviewing various aspects of genetics, including Mendelian one-trait and two-trait crosses, non-Mendelian traits such as incomplete dominance, codominance, multiple alleles, and sex-linked traits, as well as the use of pedigrees to track genetic traits.
What is the significance of a sheet of paper in the context of the video?
-A sheet of paper is useful for working out genetic problems as presented in the video, allowing viewers to practice creating Punnett squares and calculating genetic probabilities.
Why is it important to understand genetic vocabulary when approaching genetic problems?
-Understanding genetic vocabulary is crucial because it forms the basis for interpreting and solving genetic problems. It allows individuals to correctly identify and manipulate alleles, genotypes, and phenotypes in genetic calculations.
What is the key difference between Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance patterns?
-Mendelian inheritance follows a predictable pattern where dominant alleles express the dominant trait. Non-Mendelian inheritance, however, may involve scenarios such as incomplete dominance, codominance, multiple alleles, and sex-linked traits, where the expression of traits does not strictly follow Mendel's laws.
How does the concept of probability apply to genetic problems?
-In genetic problems, probability is used to determine the likelihood of certain outcomes, such as the occurrence of a particular phenotype in offspring. A Punnett square can show the possible outcomes, but actual results may vary due to the nature of probability.
What is the significance of understanding complex genetic concepts like polygenic traits and pleiotropy?
-Understanding complex genetic concepts is important because they reflect the true complexity of genetic inheritance. Polygenic traits involve multiple genes influencing a single trait, and pleiotropy is where a single gene influences multiple traits. These concepts highlight that genetics is not always as straightforward as simple Mendelian inheritance.
How does the FOIL method apply to dihybrid crosses in genetics?
-The FOIL method is used to determine the gamete combinations for a dihybrid cross. It stands for 'First, Outer, Inner, Last' and helps to list out all possible combinations of alleles that could come from each parent.
What is the genotype ratio and phenotype ratio resulting from crossing two heterozygous cats with genotype HhSs?
-The genotype ratio for the offspring would be 1 HHSS, 2 HHSs, 2 HhSS, 4 HhSs, 2 hhSS, and 1 hhSs. The phenotype ratio would be 9 with hair and love sinks (H_S_), 3 with hair but don't love sinks (H_ss), 3 without hair but love sinks (hhS_), and 1 without hair and don't love sinks (hhss), often simplified to a 9:3:3:1 ratio.
How does incomplete dominance differ from codominance in genetic expression?
-Incomplete dominance results in an intermediate phenotype when two different alleles are present, while codominance expresses both traits fully in the phenotype. For example, in snapdragons, an Rr genotype results in a pink flower (incomplete dominance), whereas a BW genotype in certain chickens results in a black and white speckled pattern (codominance).
What is the probability that a child will have type O blood if both parents are heterozygous for blood type B and A, respectively?
-The probability is 25%. This is calculated by determining the possible genotypes of the offspring from a Punnett square, where one parent can pass on either an A or O allele, and the other parent can pass on either a B or O allele.
How is the genotype of a male with hemophilia written in a genetic problem?
-A male with hemophilia, which is a sex-linked recessive disorder, would have the genotype XhY, where 'Xh' represents the X chromosome carrying the hemophilia allele and 'Y' is the Y chromosome.
What is the key takeaway from the pedigree section of the video?
-The key takeaway is understanding how to use pedigrees to track the inheritance of traits, determining genotypes based on the phenotypes presented in the family tree, and recognizing patterns that indicate autosomal versus sex-linked traits.
Outlines
🌟 Introduction to Genetic Problem Solving
This paragraph introduces a variety of resources for reviewing biology, specifically genetic problems. It covers Mendelian one-trait and two-trait crosses, non-Mendelian traits such as incomplete dominance, codominance, multiple alleles, and sex-linked traits, as well as pedigrees. The presenter provides five important points to consider when approaching genetic problems, including the utility of a sheet of paper, familiarity with genetic vocabulary, the variability in textbook symbols, the probabilistic nature of genetic outcomes, and the complexity of genetics beyond simple traits. The paragraph concludes with an introduction to Mendelian one-trait crosses using guinea pigs as an example.
🧬 Mendelian and Non-Mendelian Genetics
The second paragraph delves into Mendelian genetics, explaining the Punnett square and how it can be used to determine the phenotype and genotype ratios in offspring from heterozygous parents. It then contrasts this with non-Mendelian genetics, illustrating the concepts of incomplete dominance and codominance using the examples of snapdragons and chickens, respectively. The paragraph also explores multiple alleles, as seen in blood types, and sex-linked traits, specifically discussing hemophilia as a recessive sex-linked disorder. Each concept is accompanied by a problem for the viewer to solve, reinforcing the learning through practice.
👨👩👧👦 Pedigrees and Genetic Inheritance
The final paragraph discusses pedigrees, which are diagrams used to track the inheritance of traits through generations within a family. The presenter clarifies how to interpret these diagrams, using autosomal recessive traits as an example. The viewer is guided through determining the genotypes of individuals in a given pedigree, highlighting the importance of knowing the genotype of affected individuals first. The paragraph also explores the implications of not knowing whether a trait is autosomal or sex-linked by using the same pedigree and demonstrating how the interpretation differs. The video concludes with encouragement to practice problem-solving and to explore the real-life relevance of genetics.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Genetic Problems
💡Mendelian Genetics
💡Non-Mendelian Inheritance
💡Punnett Square
💡Incomplete Dominance
💡Codominance
💡Multiple Alleles
💡Sex-Linked Traits
💡Pedigrees
💡Genetic Vocabulary
💡Probability
Highlights
The video provides a comprehensive review of general genetic problems, including Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance patterns.
A sheet of paper and a pen or pencil are recommended for working through the genetic problems presented in the video.
The video assumes familiarity with genetic vocabulary and symbols used in textbooks.
It is emphasized that the focus should be on the concept rather than the specific symbols used to represent genetic traits.
The importance of understanding that genetic problems involve determining probabilities is highlighted.
The video acknowledges the complexity of genetics, with traits being polygenic, pleiotropic, and influenced by epistasis and epigenetics.
Mendelian one-trait crosses, including monohybrid crosses, are explained using the example of guinea pigs with different hair traits.
The concept of genotype and phenotype ratios is introduced, with an example of crossing a hairless guinea pig with a heterozygous one.
Mendelian two-trait crosses, or dihybrid crosses, are demonstrated using a fictional example of cats loving sinks.
A 16 square box is used for dihybrid crosses, and the FOIL method is mentioned for determining gamete combinations.
The video explains non-Mendelian inheritance, starting with incomplete dominance, where the phenotype is an intermediate of the two alleles.
Codominance is presented as a non-Mendelian pattern where both alleles are fully expressed, using the example of chickens with different feather colors.
Multiple alleles are discussed with the example of blood types, and the concept of genotypes for different blood types is explained.
Sex-linked traits are covered, focusing on the inheritance patterns related to the X and Y chromosomes, with hemophilia as an example.
Pedigrees are introduced as a tool to track genetic traits through generations, with examples of how to determine genotypes from a pedigree chart.
The video emphasizes the importance of practice in understanding and solving genetic problems.
Real-life applications and the significance of genetics in various fields are mentioned, encouraging viewers to explore further.
The Amoeba Sisters remind viewers to stay curious and explore the full content videos for a deeper understanding of genetics.
Transcripts
So we’ve made resources for reviewing in biology: from our GIF review, to our study
tips video, to our mega biology review video called stroll through the playlist.
Our Stroll Through the Playlist was actually our longest video in Amoeba Sisters history.
This one won’t be quite that long.
But it will address an area that the Stroll Through the Playlist couldn’t go into very
much---a review of how to do general genetic problems.
By that, I mean this video will review: Mendelian one-trait and two-trait crosses.
Then non-Mendelian traits like incomplete dominance, codominance, multiple alleles,
and sex-linked traits.
We’ll end with pedigrees.
Before starting, I’ve got five things to mention first.
Number 1, a sheet of paper will be very useful for this.
You might want to pull one out now with a pen or pencil.
Just like our stroll through the playlist, when you see Gus pop up, you can pause the
video and work out a problem to check how you’re doing.
Number 2, we’ll use some genetic vocabulary here, and we are making the assumption that
you’ve already seen these words before.
Number 3, with genetic problems, the symbols used in textbooks---especially with incomplete
dominance and codominance---can vary.
Some use superscript; some use different letters.
It’s not the symbol you need to focus on but rather the concept.
But just to note: if you’re choosing the letters to write out, you might want to pick
letters that have different looking capital and lowercase letters unless you go to a lot
of effort to make them look different.
Number 4, remember that when you’re doing a genetic problem, you are determining a probability.
But just because a Punnett square tells you that 1 out of 4 guinea pig offspring will
be hairless, doesn’t mean that there will always be one hairless guinea pig every time
you have four offspring.
It can show it’s possible, but it’s still a probability.
Number 5, and this is the big one, please realize the topic of genetics is complex.
Far more complex than simple gene traits you tend to see in Punnett square problems.
Traits can be polygenic, which means MANY genes control ONE trait.
Some traits can be pleiotropic which means ONE gene controls MANY different traits.
We mention epistasis in one of our videos, which means that a gene’s expression, whether
it’s expressed or not, can be impacted by the expression of another gene.
And we released a video about epigenetics: this involves factors at work - that are not
part of the DNA sequence -but yet can influence gene expression.
Okay, with those five things said, let’s get started!
First, with understanding a Mendelian one-trait cross, which includes monohybrid crosses.
Let’s assume here we have these three guinea pigs.
We’re using the letter H to represent an allele, and we’re assuming that the presence
of a dominant allele means the guinea pig will have hair.
This guinea pig is homozygous dominant, this one is heterozygous, and this one is homozygous
recessive.
Knowing that, can you complete the genotypes?.
[PAUSE]
HH, Hh, and hh.
Remember it only takes one dominant allele and it would have hair.
Also remember there are two alleles per guinea pig here because each guinea pig gets one
allele from each of their parents.
Please cross a hairless guinea pig with a heterozygous guinea pig and give the phenotype
and genotype ratios of the offspring.
[PAUSE]
Notice that I had to figure out the hairless guinea pig’s genotype would be hh.
I remembered it only takes one dominant allele in this example and it would have hair, so
it can’t have a capital H. I arrange the Punnett square.
It doesn’t matter which side I put the parents on.
You will notice the genotype ratio of the offspring here is 2 Hh: 2 hh.
This can be reduced to 1:1: ratio.
The phenotype ratio is 2 with hair: 2 hairless which can be reduced to 1:1.
Genotype ratios and phenotype ratios don’t necessarily match although they did in this
case.
On to a Mendelian two-trait cross, which includes dihybrid crosses.
Moving on to a different animal: cats.
With our Mendelian two-trait and dihybrid cross video, we mentioned a fictional trait
of the love for sinks.
Because our cat Moo, and many cats we’ve been told, seem to have an affection for sinks.
Again, probably not a genetic trait, but for this example, let’s use this fictional trait.
We will assume here that the presence of a dominant S allele leads to the trait of a
cat loving sinks.
Only two recessive “s” alleles would result in the non-sink loving trait.
So, if we have a cat that is heterozygous for both the traits of having hair and loving
sinks, what would that cat’s genotype be?
[PAUSE]
HhSs.
Let’s cross it with another cat with that same genotype.
HhSs.
Now a dihybrid calls for a 16 square box here.
What would be the gamete combinations that we put on top and side of this square?
[PAUSE]
Recall the FOIL method---the gametes along the side would be HS, Hs, hS, and hs.
Same for the other side.
Remember it doesn’t matter which parent you put on which side.
Notice how the gametes have one of each allele type.
Meaning, you wouldn’t have a HH or a SS in a gamete; you get one of each.
Go ahead and fill that dihybrid cross in and give us the phenotype ratio.
[PAUSE]
Here we are.
Notice we put the H letters here first and then the S letters, similar to how the genotype
was written for the parent cats.
That’s a 9:3:3:1 phenotype ratio, which if you cross two organisms that are heterozygous
for both traits in a dihybrid cross, you will find that phenotype ratio to occur.
But for a two-trait example that doesn’t have two heterozygote parents, you can check
that out on our full content video.
Ok, we’re leaving Mendelian genetics now.
Mendelian genetics followed an inheritance pattern where having a dominant allele meant
the dominant trait was expressed.
But in non-Mendelian inheritance, we’ll see that’s not always how it works.
Take incomplete dominance.
Keep in mind before starting there should be clues that a problem is involving incomplete
dominance or some other non-Mendelian trait.
Incomplete dominant traits tend to have an intermediate phenotype, almost an in-between
phenotype.
The snapdragon example is a popular one.
Here is a red snapdragon with genotype RR.
A white snapdragon with genotype rr.
But the Rr genotype leads to a pink phenotype.
In incomplete dominance, one allele is not completely dominant over
the other..
What would be the genotype and phenotype ratios of the offspring from two pink snapdragons
crossed?
[PAUSE]
1 RR: 2 Rr: 1 rr would be the genotype ratio.
1 red: 2 pink: 1 white would be the phenotype ratio.
This is different from codominance, in codominance, both traits are expressed fully.
So for codominance, we like using different letters entirely for this reason.
In a certain type of chicken, genotype BB results in black chickens, WW results in white
chickens, and BW results in black and white speckled chickens!
What would be the genotype and phenotype ratios of offspring from one black chicken and one
black and white speckled chicken?
[PAUSE]
2 BB: 2 BW, reduced to 1:1 would be the genotype ratio.
And as for the phenotype ratio?
2 black chickens: 2 black and white speckled chickens reduced to 1:1.
Now it’s time for a genetic problem with multiple alleles.
Blood types are a great example of this.
If we have these four blood types: A, B, AB, and O… can you write the genotypes?
And just a hint, it’s common to write the alleles as exponents on the letter I, although
it doesn’t have to be written that way.
[PAUSE]
Here they are!
Now, if there is one parent that is heterozygous type B and another that is heterozygous type
A, what is the percent chance that the baby from these two parents will be type O?
[PAUSE] So after working this out with the correct genotypes around the Punnett square,
it is a 25% chance that the baby will be type O. Keep in mind that blood types can also
be positive or negative, which is related to Rh factor, which our video does not go
into.
Next, sex-linked traits on sex chromosomes.
In these Punnett square problems, you are usually told it is a sex-linked trait and
then also given information about whether an individual is male or female.
In these problems, you are working on Punnett squares that involve alleles on sex chromosomes.
But as we mention in our old video, please know that individuals can have more or fewer
sex chromosomes than what might be written in a Punnett square.
Let’s consider the recessive, sex-linked disorder hemophilia.
If I tell you it’s sex-linked recessive, and we use the letter “h,” how would you
write the genotype for a male that has this disorder?
[PAUSE]
You’d write XhY.
Notice that it’s only placed on the X chromosome.
Generally sex-linked traits will be found on the X chromosome, although there are some
exceptions.
If a male was XHY, this individual would not have the disease since the disease is a recessive
sex-linked disorder.
Which of these female genotypes would have the disease hemophilia?
[PAUSE]
Only the female genotype with XhXh.
Remember, the heterozygous genotype XHXh still has a dominant allele, represented by the
capital H, which means this individual does not have this disorder.
If a male with hemophilia and a female who is homozygous dominant decide to have a child
together, what percent chance is it that their child would have hemophilia?
[PAUSE] It is a 0% chance.
Also, do you notice how the male children receive their X chromosome from the female?
They receive their Y chromosome from the male.
All right, that’s a lot of genetic problems.
Now, our last topic, pedigrees.
Pedigrees can be used to track a trait of interest, and they use many of the concepts
we’ve been reviewing.
A reminder that the shaded shape in a pedigree is generally the trait of interest.
Some people will also do a half-shading to represent the heterozygous genotype, as we
mention in our pedigree video, however, this isn’t always done and we’re going to assume
half shadings have not been done in our examples.
Take a look at this pedigree.
What shape is supposed to represent females?
[PAUSE]
That’s right, the circles.
The males would be represented as squares.
So in this pedigree, assume you are told the shaded shapes represent individuals that have
an autosomal recessive trait.
Because it is autosomal, the trait is not on a sex chromosome.
In our pedigree video, our trait of interest was tracking attached earlobes, but as we
mentioned in that video, this trait may be more complex than a single gene trait.
We’re going to use the letter “e” here so any of the shaded shapes must have the
genotype ee.
So, if given this pedigree, can you determine the genotypes of the rest of the individuals?
Just a reminder, with pedigrees, it’s often ideal to fill out the genotypes of the shaded
shapes first before determining the others.
And in this case, you know the shaded shapes will all be ee.
So now try and fill out the rest of the genotypes!
[PAUSE]
Here are all the genotypes!
A few things to point out.
Notice in generation I, individual I, the individual must be Ee.
That’s because there is a ee offspring and so if the individual was EE, that would not
be possible.
This is the same situation with individual 1 in generation 2.
Notice in generation 3, individual 2, this male must be Ee.
This male cannot be EE, because it would not be possible to receive a dominant allele from
both parents.
All offspring receive one allele from each parent.
Notice in generation II, individual 4, this male could be EE or Ee.
We don’t know.
Even if this individual had 10 children that did not have the trait, you still would not
know the genotype for sure.
The only way you would know for sure is if they had a child with the genotype ee.
Because a child with the ee genotype would reveal that both of these parents would have
to be the heterozygous genotype.
But there is not a child represented by a shaded shape here.
What if I didn’t tell you this trait was autosomal recessive?
Could you show why this pedigree is likely NOT tracking a sex-linked recessive trait?
So if this was tracking a sex-linked recessive trait, the shaded shapes would then represent genotypes
that are sex-linked recessive.
Filling out the genotypes of shaded shapes first.
Here they are.
So can you determine why this is NOT likely?
[PAUSE]
So take a look at parents 1 and 2 in generation II.
We know that Generation II, individual 1 is a male.
The individual must have genotype XEY, because if the genotype was XeY, the shape would be
shaded.
Notice a Punnett square with parents 1 and 2 of generation II shows it is not possible
to have those offspring genotypes in generation III from the pedigree.
This specific pedigree is not likely to be tracking a sex-linked recessive trait.
So that was a lot to review!
What if you’re still stuck?
Check out the full content videos, which are each under 10 minutes, in our genetic series.
Practice.
Practice a lot.
And, finally, connect this to why it matters.
We have some links to check out with more fascinating real-life examples in our video
details so you can discover why gaining an understanding of genetics is such a worthwhile
endeavor.
Well, that’s it for the Amoeba Sisters, and we remind you to stay curious!
Browse More Related Video
![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YJHGfbW55l0/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEXCJADEOABSFryq4qpAwkIARUAAIhCGAE=&rs=AOn4CLBYNYTlM8nqr75AShuToova80lhZw)
Incomplete Dominance, Codominance, Polygenic Traits, and Epistasis!
![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CBezq1fFUEA/hq720.jpg)
Heredity: Crash Course Biology #9
![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Mehz7tCxjSE/hq720.jpg)
How Mendel's pea plants helped us understand genetics - Hortensia Jiménez Díaz
![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D0XYWKm_LoM/hq720.jpg)
Sources of genetic variation | Inheritance and variation | High school biology | Khan Academy
![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7VM9YxmULuo/hq720.jpg)
Natural Selection
![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vl6Vlf2thvI/hq720.jpg)
Mutations (Updated)
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)