Mendelian vs Non-Mendelian Inheritance

Front

What is Mendelian inheritance?

Back

Mendelian inheritance refers to the patterns of inheritance that are characteristic of organisms that reproduce sexually, based on the principles established by Gregor Mendel. It includes concepts such as dominant and recessive traits, segregation, and independent assortment.

Front

What is non-Mendelian inheritance?

Back

Non-Mendelian inheritance refers to any pattern of inheritance in which traits do not segregate in accordance with Mendel's laws. This includes patterns such as incomplete dominance, codominance, and multiple alleles.

Front

Define a gene.

Back

A gene is the basic unit of heredity in living organisms, made up of DNA, and responsible for the transmission of traits from parents to offspring.

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What is an allele?

Back

An allele is a variant form of a gene that can produce different traits. For example, a gene for flower color may have a red allele and a white allele.

Front

Explain complete dominance.

Back

Complete dominance occurs when the phenotype of the heterozygote is completely expressed, masking the effect of the recessive allele.

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What is codominance?

Back

Codominance is a form of non-Mendelian inheritance where both alleles in a heterozygote are fully expressed, resulting in a phenotype that is neither dominant nor recessive.

Front

Define incomplete dominance.

Back

Incomplete dominance is a type of non-Mendelian inheritance where the phenotype of the heterozygote is intermediate between the phenotypes of the two homozygotes.

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What does independent assortment mean?

Back

Independent assortment is the principle that genes for different traits are inherited independently of one another, leading to genetic variation.

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What is the significance of multiple alleles?

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Multiple alleles refer to the presence of more than two alleles for a genetic trait within a population, allowing for a greater variety of phenotypes.

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What is a homozygous individual?

Back

A homozygous individual has two identical alleles for a particular gene, either dominant or recessive.