sex chromosomes

sex influenced traits

• traits that appear more often in one gender than the other

• ex: patterned baldness- much more common in men than women

• autosomal traits influenced by sex- can affect both, look different

sex limited genes

• traits that males and females both inherit on X chromosome

• only genes appropriate for person’s gender are turned on by sex hormones

• governs secondary sex characteristics

  • secondary sex characteristic: characteristics that develop in puberty and distinguish men and women but not directly involved in reproduction

  • ex: men’s facial hair, women’s breasts

• only visible in one sex, autosomal or on X, genes present in both genders but only ones for that gender are expressed, based off hormones

sex linked

• traits controlled by genes on sex chromosomes 

• on X chromosome

• more often in males than females