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
4. Genetic Mapping and Linkage
Mapping Overview
Problem 31
Textbook Question
Drosophila melanogaster has one pair of sex chromosomes (XX or XY) and three pairs of autosomes, referred to as chromosomes II, III, and IV. A genetics student discovered a male fly with very short (sh) legs. Using this male, the student was able to establish a pure breeding stock of this mutant and found that it was recessive. She then incorporated the mutant into a stock containing the recessive gene black (b, body color located on chromosome II) and the recessive gene pink (p, eye color located on chromosome III). A female from the homozygous black, pink, short stock was then mated to a wild-type male. The F1 males of this cross were all wild type and were then backcrossed to the homozygous b, p, sh females. The F2 results appeared as shown in the following table. No other phenotypes were observed.

Based on these results, the student was able to assign short to a linkage group (a chromosome). Which one was it? Include your step-by-step reasoning.

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Step 1: Understand the problem and identify the traits involved. The traits are 'short legs (sh)', 'black body color (b)', and 'pink eye color (p)'. These traits are recessive, and the goal is to determine which chromosome the 'short legs (sh)' gene is located on.
Step 2: Analyze the genetic cross. A homozygous female (b, p, sh) was crossed with a wild-type male. The F₁ males were all wild type, indicating that the wild-type alleles are dominant over the recessive alleles. These F₁ males were then backcrossed to homozygous b, p, sh females to produce the F₂ generation.
Step 3: Examine the F₂ results. The phenotypes and their frequencies are provided in the table. The phenotypes include combinations of wild type, pink, black, and short traits. The distribution of these phenotypes can help determine linkage relationships between the genes.
Step 4: Use linkage analysis to determine the chromosome location of 'short legs (sh)'. If 'sh' is linked to a specific chromosome, it will show a non-Mendelian ratio in the F₂ generation due to reduced recombination between linked genes. Compare the observed phenotypes and their frequencies to expected ratios for independent assortment versus linkage.
Step 5: Interpret the data. Based on the phenotypic ratios and linkage patterns, determine which chromosome 'short legs (sh)' is located on. If 'sh' is linked to chromosome II or III, it will show a specific pattern of association with 'black (b)' or 'pink (p)' traits. If 'sh' is unlinked, it will assort independently. Use this reasoning to assign 'sh' to its linkage group.

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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Linkage Groups
Linkage groups refer to sets of genes that are inherited together due to their physical proximity on the same chromosome. When genes are located close to each other, they tend to be passed on as a unit during meiosis, leading to non-independent assortment. Understanding linkage is crucial for interpreting genetic crosses, as it helps predict the inheritance patterns of traits that are located on the same chromosome.
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Recessive Traits
Recessive traits are characteristics that only manifest in an organism when two copies of the recessive allele are present. In the case of Drosophila, the short legs (sh), black body color (b), and pink eye color (p) are all recessive traits. This means that a fly must inherit the recessive allele from both parents to express these traits, which is essential for understanding the outcomes of genetic crosses and the ratios of phenotypes in offspring.
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Backcrossing
Backcrossing is a breeding method where an F₁ hybrid is crossed back to one of its parental genotypes. This technique is used to determine the genotype of the hybrid and to analyze the inheritance of specific traits. In the context of the question, backcrossing the F₁ males to the homozygous recessive females allows the student to observe the segregation of traits and infer the linkage of the short legs trait to a specific chromosome.
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Textbook Question
Write a short essay that discusses how crossing over can be detected and how the resultant data provide the basis of chromosome mapping.
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