What type of inheritance pattern is observed for chloroplast genes in most species of plants?
Chloroplast genes in most species of plants typically exhibit maternal inheritance, where the offspring inherit chloroplast DNA exclusively from the mother.
How does the maternal effect differ from Mendelian inheritance in determining offspring phenotype?
In maternal effect, the offspring's phenotype is determined by the mother's genotype, whereas Mendelian inheritance predicts phenotype based on the offspring's own genotype.
What role do leftover gene products in the mother's egg play in maternal effect inheritance?
Leftover gene products such as mRNA or proteins in the mother's egg can influence the offspring's phenotype, causing it to reflect the mother's genotype.
During meiosis in a heterozygous cell, what happens to gene products after allele segregation?
Some gene products from both dominant and recessive alleles may remain mixed in the resulting cells even after allele segregation.
What is a classic example of a trait influenced by maternal effect in snails?
Shell coiling direction in snails is a classic example, where the direction is determined by the mother's genotype, not the offspring's genotype.
If a snail offspring has a homozygous recessive genotype, what determines its shell coiling direction?
The shell coiling direction is determined solely by the mother's genotype, regardless of the offspring's genotype.
What types of gene products can remain in the egg and influence offspring phenotype in maternal effect?
Gene products such as mRNA and proteins can remain in the egg and influence the offspring's phenotype.
Why might a homozygous recessive snail not show the expected left-handed coil phenotype?
Because the maternal effect causes the phenotype to be dictated by the mother's genotype, not the offspring's genotype.
What process ensures that gene products from both alleles may be present in eggs after meiosis?
DNA replication followed by two rounds of cell division during meiosis can leave gene products from both alleles in the eggs.
In maternal effect inheritance, whose genotype must be considered to predict the offspring's phenotype?
The mother's genotype must be considered, as it solely determines the offspring's phenotype in maternal effect inheritance.