Dominance & segregation laws | Heredity & Evolution | Biology | Khan Academy
Khan Academy India - English・2 minutes read
Mendel's experiment with pea plants helped explain how dominant and recessive traits are passed down, clarifying how traits like blue eyes can appear in a generation with brown-eyed parents. Understanding Mendel's laws, including the Law of Segregation, can provide insights into predicting offspring ratios and inheritance patterns.
Insights
- Mendel's experiment with pea plants demonstrated the Law of Dominance, where dominant traits overshadow recessive ones, leading to specific ratios in offspring.
- Understanding Mendel's laws of inheritance can clarify how seemingly contradictory traits, like blue eyes from brown-eyed parents, can be passed down through generations.
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Recent questions
How do dominant and recessive traits affect inheritance?
Dominant traits mask recessive traits in offspring.
What is the significance of the Law of Segregation in genetics?
The Law of Segregation explains how traits are passed on.
How does self-pollination affect genetic traits in plants?
Self-pollination can result in a mix of genetic traits.
Can recessive traits skip a generation in inheritance?
Yes, recessive traits can skip generations.
How can Mendel's laws help explain inheritance patterns?
Mendel's laws provide a framework for understanding genetic inheritance.
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Summary
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Inheritance Laws: Dominance, Segregation, and Offspring Ratios
- Marcus has blue eyes, but his parents have brown eyes, leading to the question of how this is possible.
- Mendel's experiment involved crossing a pure tall pea plant with a pure short pea plant, resulting in all tall offspring, known as the F1 generation.
- Mendel then self-fertilized the F1 generation tall plants and obtained a mix of tall and short plants in a 3:1 ratio.
- The Law of Dominance suggests that both tall and short traits are passed along, with the tall trait being dominant and the short trait recessive.
- The Law of Segregation explains that during gamete formation, the traits get separated, leading to the 3:1 ratio when self-pollinating.
- When self-pollinating, the fertilized eggs can result in tall or short plants based on the combination of sperm and egg traits.
- Applying the same logic to the pure tall and short plants reveals why all F1 generation plants were tall and how the 3:1 ratio occurs.
- The concept of dominant and recessive traits can explain how a recessive trait can skip a generation and reappear in the next.
- Applying Mendel's laws can help understand how traits are inherited, such as blue eyes from brown-eyed parents.
- Recalling the concepts of dominant and recessive traits, the Law of Segregation, and predicting offspring ratios can solidify understanding.
