B16.3 Monohybrid inheritance

What is inheritance?

• The transmission of genetic information from one generation to the next generation

What is a phenotype?

• Phenotypes: observable features of an organism

What is a genotype?

• Genotype: genetic make-up (combination of alleles) of an organism which control each characteristic

Explain recessive and dominant alleles

• Alleles can be dominant (expressed in capital letters) or recessive (lower case)

  • Dominant alleles only need to be inherited from one parent in order for the characteristic to show up in the phenotype

  • Recessive alleles need to be inherited from both parents, or else it will stay hidden and the dominant allele will show instead

What is homozygous and heterozygous?

• Homozygous: having two identical alleles of a particular gene

  • Homozygous individuals that breed together will be “pure breeding”

• Heterozygous: having two different alleles of a particular gene

  • Will not be “pure breeding”

What is monohybrid inheritance?

• Inheritance of characteristics controlled by a single gene