Gregor Mendel and Genetics

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Gregor Mendel and Genetics

• Gregor Mendel was an Austrian Monk.
• He studied the reproduction of garden peas.
• He observed differences in the characteristics
  that the parent plants passed on to their
  offspring.

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• Mendel observed that some of these
  characteristics (or traits) occurred more often
  than others.
• He determined that these traits were controlled
  by genes. (We now know genes are part of an
  organisms DNA.)
• He called the different forms of a gene, alleles.

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• Mendel then proposed that some alleles are
  dominant and others are recessive.
• A dominant allele will always show in the
  offspring.
• A recessive allele will only show when there is
  no dominant allele to mask it.

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Segregation of Alleles

• During the production of gametes (sex cells) the
  alleles for a specific gene are separated.
• Each gamete only carries one allele for that
  gene.
• When the two gamete cells join to form a zygote
  (new organism) each donates one alleles for
  that gene.

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Probability

• Probability is the chance of achieving a
  particular outcome.
• Segregation is determined by probability.
• This allows for the predictability of an
  offspring's appearance.

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