In mice, black coat color is dominant to white coat color. In the pedigree shown here, mice with a black coat are represented by darkened symbols, and those with white coats are shown as open symbols. Using allele symbols B and b, determine the genotypes for each mouse.
Table of contents
- 1. Introduction to Genetics51m
- 2. Mendel's Laws of Inheritance3h 37m
- 3. Extensions to Mendelian Inheritance2h 41m
- 4. Genetic Mapping and Linkage2h 28m
- 5. Genetics of Bacteria and Viruses1h 21m
- 6. Chromosomal Variation1h 48m
- 7. DNA and Chromosome Structure56m
- 8. DNA Replication1h 10m
- 9. Mitosis and Meiosis1h 34m
- 10. Transcription1h 0m
- 11. Translation58m
- 12. Gene Regulation in Prokaryotes1h 19m
- 13. Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes44m
- 14. Genetic Control of Development44m
- 15. Genomes and Genomics1h 50m
- 16. Transposable Elements47m
- 17. Mutation, Repair, and Recombination1h 6m
- 18. Molecular Genetic Tools19m
- 19. Cancer Genetics29m
- 20. Quantitative Genetics1h 26m
- 21. Population Genetics50m
- 22. Evolutionary Genetics29m
2. Mendel's Laws of Inheritance
Pedigrees
Problem 14
Textbook Question
Mendel crossed peas having green seeds with peas having yellow seeds. The F₁ generation produced only yellow seeds. In the F₂, the progeny consisted of 6022 plants with yellow seeds and 2001 plants with green seeds. Of the F₂ yellow-seeded plants, 519 were self-fertilized with the following results: 166 bred true for yellow and 353 produced an F₃ ratio of 3/4 yellow: 1/4 green. Explain these results by diagramming the crosses.

1
Step 1: Identify the traits and their dominance. From the problem, yellow seeds are dominant over green seeds. Represent the dominant allele for yellow seeds as 'Y' and the recessive allele for green seeds as 'y'.
Step 2: Analyze the F₁ generation. Mendel crossed green-seeded plants (yy) with yellow-seeded plants (YY). The F₁ generation would all be heterozygous (Yy), as they inherit one dominant allele (Y) from the yellow-seeded parent and one recessive allele (y) from the green-seeded parent. This explains why all F₁ plants have yellow seeds.
Step 3: Analyze the F₂ generation. When the F₁ plants (Yy) are self-fertilized, the expected genotypic ratio in the F₂ generation is 1:2:1 (YY:Yy:yy), and the phenotypic ratio is 3:1 (yellow:green). This matches the observed F₂ results of 6022 yellow-seeded plants and 2001 green-seeded plants. Use a Punnett square to confirm this ratio.
Step 4: Examine the self-fertilization of F₂ yellow-seeded plants. Of the 519 yellow-seeded plants self-fertilized, 166 bred true for yellow seeds, meaning they were homozygous dominant (YY). The remaining 353 produced an F₃ ratio of 3/4 yellow: 1/4 green, indicating they were heterozygous (Yy). This aligns with the expected genotypic ratio of 1:2 for YY:Yy among yellow-seeded F₂ plants.
Step 5: Diagram the crosses. Create Punnett squares for each generation: (1) the P generation cross (YY x yy) to show the F₁ generation, (2) the F₁ self-fertilization (Yy x Yy) to show the F₂ generation, and (3) the self-fertilization of F₂ yellow-seeded plants (YY and Yy) to show the F₃ generation. Label the genotypes and phenotypes clearly in each diagram.

This video solution was recommended by our tutors as helpful for the problem above
Video duration:
3mPlay a video:
Was this helpful?
Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Mendelian Inheritance
Mendelian inheritance refers to the principles of heredity established by Gregor Mendel through his experiments with pea plants. He discovered that traits are inherited in discrete units, now known as genes, and that these traits can be dominant or recessive. In this case, yellow seeds are dominant over green seeds, which explains why the F₁ generation only produced yellow seeds.
Recommended video:
Guided course
Organelle Inheritance
Genotypic and Phenotypic Ratios
Genotypic ratios represent the genetic makeup of offspring, while phenotypic ratios represent the observable traits. In the F₂ generation, the observed ratio of yellow to green seeds (6022:2001) approximates a 3:1 ratio, consistent with Mendel's law of segregation. The self-fertilization of yellow-seeded plants further illustrates this, as the 3/4 yellow to 1/4 green ratio in the F₃ generation indicates the presence of both homozygous and heterozygous yellow-seeded plants.
Recommended video:
Guided course
Gamete Genotypes
Punnett Square
A Punnett square is a diagram used to predict the genotypes of offspring from a genetic cross. It visually represents the combination of alleles from the parents, allowing for the calculation of expected ratios of traits. In this scenario, constructing a Punnett square for the F₁ and F₂ generations would clarify how the dominant yellow seed trait is expressed and how the recessive green seed trait re-emerges in the F₂ generation.
Recommended video:
Guided course
Chi Square Analysis
Related Videos
Related Practice
Textbook Question
1385
views