Explore Mendelian inheritance patterns through interactive simulations. Learn about dominant and recessive traits, Punnett squares, and genetic crosses with visualizations.
Mendelian inheritance refers to the patterns of inheritance that follow the laws established by Gregor Mendel. These laws describe how traits are passed from parents to offspring through genes, with specific patterns of dominant and recessive alleles.
During gamete formation, the two alleles for each trait separate, so that each gamete carries only one allele for each trait.
Alleles of different genes assort independently during gamete formation, provided the genes are on different chromosomes.
When an organism has two different alleles for a trait, one will be dominant and expressed, while the other will be recessive.
Simulate a cross between two heterozygous parents for a single trait (e.g., flower color).
Genotypic Ratio: 1:2:1
Phenotypic Ratio: 3:1
Probability of Dominant Phenotype: 75%
Simulate a cross between two heterozygous parents for two traits (e.g., seed shape and color).
Genotypic Ratio: 1:2:1:2:4:2:1:2:1
Phenotypic Ratio: 9:3:3:1
Problem: In pea plants, purple flowers (P) are dominant to white flowers (p). A heterozygous purple plant is crossed with a white plant. What are the expected genotypes and phenotypes of the offspring?
Parent genotypes: Pp × pp
Possible gametes: P or p from first parent; p from second parent
Punnett Square:
| p | p | |
|---|---|---|
| P | Pp | Pp |
| p | pp | pp |
Results: 50% Pp (purple), 50% pp (white)
Problem: Round seeds (R) are dominant to wrinkled seeds (r). Two heterozygous plants are crossed. What is the probability of getting wrinkled seeds?
Parent genotypes: Rr × Rr
Possible gametes: R or r from each parent
Punnett Square:
| R | r | |
|---|---|---|
| R | RR | Rr |
| r | Rr | rr |
Results: 25% RR (round), 50% Rr (round), 25% rr (wrinkled)
Probability of wrinkled seeds: 25%
Problem: In pea plants, yellow seeds (Y) are dominant to green seeds (y), and round seeds (R) are dominant to wrinkled seeds (r). A plant with genotype YyRr is crossed with another YyRr plant. What proportion of offspring will have green, wrinkled seeds?
Parent genotypes: YyRr × YyRr
Possible gametes: YR, Yr, yR, yr from each parent
For green, wrinkled seeds (yyrr), both parents must contribute y and r alleles
Probability of yy: 1/4, Probability of rr: 1/4
Combined probability: 1/4 × 1/4 = 1/16 = 6.25%
Mendelian: Follows simple dominant/recessive patterns with predictable ratios.
Non-Mendelian: Includes incomplete dominance, codominance, multiple alleles, and polygenic traits.
Mendelian: Focuses on inheritance patterns at the organism level.
Molecular: Studies genes at the DNA and protein level.
Mendelian: Studies inheritance in individual crosses.
Population: Studies allele frequencies in populations over time.
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