2. Mendel's Laws of Inheritance

A woman with severe discoloration of her tooth enamel has four children with a man who has normal tooth enamel. Two of the children, a boy (B) and a girl (G), have discolored enamel. Each has a mate with normal tooth enamel and produces several children. G has six children—four boys and two girls. Two of her boys and one of her girls have discolored enamel. B has seven children—four girls and three boys. All four of his daughters have discolored enamel, but all his boys have normal enamel. Explain the inheritance of this condition.

In a large metropolitan hospital, cells from newborn babies are collected and examined microscopically over a 5-year period. Among approximately 7500 newborn males, six have one Barr body in the nuclei of their somatic cells. All other newborn males have no Barr bodies. Among 7500 female infants, four have two Barr bodies in each nucleus, two have no Barr bodies, and the rest have one. What is the cause of the unusual number of Barr bodies in a small number of male and female infants?

In cats, tortoiseshell coat color appears in females. A tortoiseshell coat has patches of dark brown fur and patches of orange fur that each in total cover about half the body but have a unique pattern in each female. Male cats can be either dark brown or orange, but a male cat with tortoiseshell coat is rarely produced. Two sample crosses between males and females from pure-breeding lines produced the tortoiseshell females shown.

Cross I     P: dark brown male × orange female

           F₁: orange males and tortoiseshell females

Cross II    P: orange male × dark brown female

           F₁: dark brown males and tortoiseshell females

The genetics service of a large veterinary hospital gets referrals for three or four male tortoiseshell cats every year. These cats are invariably sterile and have underdeveloped testes. How are these tortoiseshell male cats produced? Why do you think they are sterile?

In cats, tortoiseshell coat color appears in females. A tortoiseshell coat has patches of dark brown fur and patches of orange fur that each in total cover about half the body but have a unique pattern in each female. Male cats can be either dark brown or orange, but a male cat with tortoiseshell coat is rarely produced. Two sample crosses between males and females from pure-breeding lines produced the tortoiseshell females shown.

Cross I     P: dark brown male × orange female

           F₁: orange males and tortoiseshell females

Cross II    P: orange male × dark brown female

           F₁: dark brown males and tortoiseshell females

Why are tortoiseshell cats female?

In cats, tortoiseshell coat color appears in females. A tortoiseshell coat has patches of dark brown fur and patches of orange fur that each in total cover about half the body but have a unique pattern in each female. Male cats can be either dark brown or orange, but a male cat with tortoiseshell coat is rarely produced. Two sample crosses between males and females from pure-breeding lines produced the tortoiseshell females shown.

Cross I     P: dark brown male × orange female

           F₁: orange males and tortoiseshell females

Cross II    P: orange male × dark brown female

          F₁: dark brown males and tortoiseshell females

Explain the inheritance of dark brown, orange, and tortoiseshell coat colors in cats.

The following are F₂ results of two of Mendel's monohybrid crosses.

For each cross, state a null hypothesis to be tested using x² analysis. Calculate the x² value and determine the p value for both. Interpret the p-values. Can the deviation in each case be attributed to chance or not? Which of the two crosses shows a greater amount of deviation?

In assessing data that fell into two phenotypic classes, a geneticist observed values of 250:150. She decided to perform a $\chi$² analysis by using the following two different null hypotheses:

(a) the data fit a 3:1 ratio, and

(b) the data fit a 1:1 ratio.

Calculate the $\chi$ ² values for each hypothesis. What can be concluded about each hypothesis?

The seeds in bush bean pods are each the product of an independent fertilization event. Green seed color is dominant to white seed color in bush beans. If a heterozygous plant with green seeds self-fertilizes, what is the probability that 6 seeds in a single pod of the progeny plant will consist of at least 1 white seed?

The seeds in bush bean pods are each the product of an independent fertilization event. Green seed color is dominant to white seed color in bush beans. If a heterozygous plant with green seeds self-fertilizes, what is the probability that 6 seeds in a single pod of the progeny plant will consist of all green seeds?

The seeds in bush bean pods are each the product of an independent fertilization event. Green seed color is dominant to white seed color in bush beans. If a heterozygous plant with green seeds self-fertilizes, what is the probability that 6 seeds in a single pod of the progeny plant will consist of 3 green and 3 white seeds?

Blue moon beans produce beans that are either the dominant color blue or the recessive color white. The bean pods for this species always contain four seeds each. If two heterozygous plants that each have the Bb genotype are crossed, what are the predicted frequencies of each of the five outcome classes for combinations of blue and white seeds in pods?

In the fruit fly Drosophila, a rudimentary wing called 'vestigial' and dark body color called 'ebony' are inherited as independently assorting genes and are recessive to their dominant counterparts full wing and gray body color. Dihybrid dominant-phenotype males and females are crossed, and 3200 progeny are produced. How many progeny flies are expected to be found in each phenotypic class?

A variety of pea plant called Blue Persian produces a tall plant with blue seeds. A second variety of pea plant called Spanish Dwarf produces a short plant with white seed. The two varieties are crossed, and the resulting seeds are collected. All of the seeds are white; and when planted, they produce all tall plants. These tall F₁ plants are allowed to self-fertilize. The results for seed color and plant stature in the F₂ generation are as follows:

   F₂ Plant Phenotype    Number

   Blue seed, tall plant.     97

   White seed, tall plant    270

   Blue seed, short plant    33

   White seed, short plant  100

  TOTAL                500

Examine the data in the table by the chi-square test and determine whether they conform to expectations of the hypothesis.

A variety of pea plant called Blue Persian produces a tall plant with blue seeds. A second variety of pea plant called Spanish Dwarf produces a short plant with white seed. The two varieties are crossed, and the resulting seeds are collected. All of the seeds are white; and when planted, they produce all tall plants. These tall F₁ plants are allowed to self-fertilize. The results for seed color and plant stature in the F₂ generation are as follows:

   F₂ Plant Phenotype    Number

   Blue seed, tall plant.     97

   White seed, tall plant    270

   Blue seed, short plant    33

   White seed, short plant  100

  TOTAL                500

State the hypothesis being tested in this experiment.

A variety of pea plant called Blue Persian produces a tall plant with blue seeds. A second variety of pea plant called Spanish Dwarf produces a short plant with white seed. The two varieties are crossed, and the resulting seeds are collected. All of the seeds are white; and when planted, they produce all tall plants. These tall F₁ plants are allowed to self-fertilize. The results for seed color and plant stature in the F₂ generation are as follows:

   F₂ Plant Phenotype    Number

   Blue seed, tall plant.     97

   White seed, tall plant   270

   Blue seed, short plant    33

   White seed, short plant  100

  TOTAL                500

What is the expected distribution of phenotypes in the F₂ generation?