Patterns of Intermediate

Inheritance

Mendelian Classical Dominance:

When one allele is completely dominant over another
-This is what Mendel figured out
Example: A homozygous dominant black chicken is crossed
with a homozygous recessive white chicken.
-What percent of the
offspring will be white?

0%
-What percent of the
offspring will be black?

100%

B
b

Bb

Bb

Bb

Bb
2

Non-Mendelian Forms of Genetics

There are several types of intermediate
inheritance patterns:
Co-dominance
Multiple Alleles
Incomplete Dominance
Polygenic Traits
Multifactorial Inheritance

Co-dominance
A trait for which both alleles contribute
equally to the phenotype.
Example: Coat color in cows and horses
When a homozygous red cow is crossed with a
homozygous white cow they produce a
heterozygous cow that is red and white (roan).

Genotype: RR

Genotype: WW

Genotype: RW

Show the cross between two roan cow

(use R and W).
What is the probability
that two roan cows will
have at
least one roan
offspring?

RR

RW

50%

What is the probability

that two roan cows will
have a white
offspring?
25%

RW

WW

Incomplete Dominance
Results in a heterozygous phenotype that
is a blend of the two homozygous
phenotypes.
Examples: snapdragon plants, coat color in
horses
When a homozygous red snapdragon is crossed
with a homozygous white snapdragon, they
produce a heterozygous pink snapdragon.

Genotype: RR
(Red)

Genotype: WW
(white)

Genotype: RW
(pink)

In humans
Hair Texture is incomplete.

Practice Cross Incomplete

Dominance
In Four OClocks, the gene for red flowers
(R) is incompletely dominant to the gene
for white flowers (W).
The heterozygous condition results in
pink flowers.

Show the results of a cross between a red Four OClock and a white
Four OClock.

Are the F1
flowers purebred or
W
hybrid?

RW

RW

RW

RW

hybrid

What is the
phenotype of
the F1 flowers?
pink

Mirabilis plants

Snapdragons

WW
White

RW

RW

WW

RR
Red

RW

RW

RW

RW

RR

WW

RW

WW

Multiple Alleles
When a gene has more than two possible
alleles.
ONLY TWO alleles are inherited.
Example: Rabbit Coat Color is controlled by 4
alleles - C, cch, ch, and c

wild type color

CC, Ccch, Cch, Cc

chinchilla color

cchcch, cchch, cchc

Himalayan color

chc or chch

albino

cc

Practice cross: Multiple Alleles

Practice cross: In rabbits there are four different
color alleles:
C is dominant over all C = wild type color
cch is dominant to ch & ccch = chinchilla color
ch is dominant to c
ch = Himalayan color
c is recessive to all
c = albino

Each rabbit can inherit only two alleles. A wild

colored rabbit is crossed with an albino and in
the offspring there is a Himalayan rabbit.

Show the cross between a wild type and

albino rabbit that has a Himalayan baby.
What are the genotypes of
the parents?

ch

Cc

chc

Cc

chc

Parent one : cc
Parent two : Cch

What is the probability that

they will have an offspring
that is Himalayan?
50%

What is the probability that

they will have an offspring
that is albino?
0%

What is the probability that

they will have an offspring
that is wild colored?
50%

Mult. Alleles
&
Co-dominance

Eye Color
Calculator

Polygenic

A trait that is controlled by

the interaction between 2
or more genes.
Examples: skin color, eye
color, height, hair color
Results in a continuum of
expressed phenotypes.

Vitamin D
& Skin Color
Evolution

Polygenic
Traits &
Epistasis

Polygenic trait: Hair Color

The more dominant alleles that appear in the genotype, the darker the hair!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e5ODsf_TEk

27

Multifactorial Inheritance
The phenotype is a result of an interaction between your
genotype and certain environmental factors.
The expression of most all genes is influenced by
environmental conditions.
Examples:
Diabetes
Height
Heart Disease
Can inherit a predisposition to all of these diseases/characteristics.
Their development (phenotype) is influenced by environmental factors
such as proper nutrition, exercise, quality medical care, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd5Y3-F79LY

Examples in plants:
In many plants, the
presence of light
triggers the
production of
chloroplasts.
Chemicals that
stimulate germination
are only produced in
the presence of
certain temperatures.
http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/874/30020399.JPG

Review
of Terms