Mendelian and Non-Mendelian Inheritance

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What is codominance?

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A genetic scenario where both alleles in a heterozygote are fully expressed, resulting in offspring with a phenotype that is neither dominant nor recessive. Example: Roan cows (red and white fur).

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What is incomplete dominance?

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A genetic scenario where the phenotype of a heterozygote is intermediate between the phenotypes of the two homozygotes. Example: Red and white flowers producing pink flowers.

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What is non-Mendelian inheritance?

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Patterns of inheritance that do not follow Mendel's laws of segregation and independent assortment. Examples include codominance, incomplete dominance, and polygenic inheritance.

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What is Mendelian inheritance?

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Patterns of inheritance that follow Gregor Mendel's laws, including the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment.

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What are multiple alleles?

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A situation where three or more alleles exist for a particular gene. Example: The ABO blood group system has three alleles: A, B, and O.

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What is polygenic inheritance?

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A type of inheritance where multiple genes influence a trait, resulting in a continuous range of phenotypes. Example: Human height.

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What does it mean if an organism is homozygous?

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An organism that has two identical alleles for a particular gene (e.g., AA or aa).

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What does it mean if an organism is heterozygous?

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An organism that has two different alleles for a particular gene (e.g., Aa).

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What is the significance of a Punnett square?

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A diagram used to predict the outcome of a genetic cross by showing the possible combinations of alleles from the parents.

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What is epistasis?

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A genetic interaction where one gene masks or suppresses the expression of another gene. Example: Coat color in Labrador retrievers.