StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Mendelian Laws of Inheritance - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Mendelian Laws of Inheritance" states that the first law is the Law of Segregation, according to which, when an individual produces gametes, each gamete received only one copy of the genes. Thus, a single gamete will receive either one or the other allele…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.8% of users find it useful
Mendelian Laws of Inheritance
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Mendelian Laws of Inheritance"

According to Mendel, every individual has 2 factors for a single trait, one that is inherited paternally and the other that is inherited maternally. Both the factors inherited thus may or may not be identical. These factors are known as genes. Mendel called them factors and they were later termed genes. In case both the factors are identical, then the individual is called homozygous for that particular trait and if both the factors are nonidentical, then the individual is called heterozygous for that particular trait. The two alternative forms of a factor are known as alleles and the genotype of an individual is made up from these alleles(Mueller et al, 2001). Thus, every trait is governed by 2 alleles, one maternal and the other paternal. The genetic makeup of any cell with reference to a particular trait is known as genotype and any observable trait like color, etc is known as phenotype. The Mendel Laws are based on the above facts and they are described below.

The second law is the Law of Independent Assortment. This is also known as the Inheritance Law. According to this law, alleles of different genes undergo an independent assortment of one another during the formation of gametes (Jorde et al, 1995). Different traits are inherited independently of each other, with no relationship to each other with regard to inheritance. Independent assortment occurs during phase-2 meiosis in eukaryotes, in metaphase-1. The gamete produced is a mixture of maternal and paternal chromosomes and this is known as chromosomal crossover. The leads to novel genetic combinations and is the cause for increasing genetic diversity (Biology online).

While the above laws are applicable to all chromosomes, for sex chromosomes, the laws are applicable in slightly modified form. In humans, the male has X and Y chromosomes and the female has 2 X chromosomes. Thus males are heterogametic and females are homogametic. When a male gamete containing an X chromosome fertilizes a female gamete, the zygote is XX  and a female is formed from this zygote. If the male gamete containing the Y chromosome fertilizes the female gamete, the genotype of the zygote would be XY, resulting in male.

Thus, sons inherit X-chromosome only from their mothers and hence sons cannot inherit genetic diseases that are dependent on the X chromosome from their father. Daughters inherit genes related to the X chromosome from their fathers with 100 percent certainty. From the mothers, they inherit only one X chromosome and their acquisition of genetic disease related to the X chromosome depends on whether it was from the father or the mother. Since the X chromosome is present in the hemizygotes state among males, females frequently act as heterozygotes and transfer recessive alleles for genetic diseases without having any symptoms. These diseases are manifested by hemizygote males. Hemophilia and color blindness are classical examples of X-linked inheritance (Nussbaum et al, 2004).

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Describe the two mendelians laws of inheritance and discuss to what Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/other/1413764-describe-the-two-mendelians-laws-of-inheritance
(Describe the Two Mendelians Laws of Inheritance and Discuss to What Essay)
https://studentshare.org/other/1413764-describe-the-two-mendelians-laws-of-inheritance.
“Describe the Two Mendelians Laws of Inheritance and Discuss to What Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/other/1413764-describe-the-two-mendelians-laws-of-inheritance.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Mendelian Laws of Inheritance

Mendel Genetics Using Brassica Rapa

Through the course of this discourse, the first and second laws of genetics, as established by Gregor Mendel, will be examined using the Brassice rapa as the instrument of experimentation.... Through the course of this discourse, the first and second laws of genetics, as established by Gregor Mendel, will be examined using the Brassice rapa as the instrument of experimentation.... Through the experiment, the hypothesis that the presence of purple pigment is dominant and the trait follows mendelian laws will be tested....
9 Pages (2250 words) Research Paper

Differences between Mendelian and Non-Mendelian Inheritance

Mendelian inheritance is a broad phrase that refers to any pattern of inheritance that the traits or genes separate or are in agreement and accordance with the Mendel's law.... Non-Mendelian inheritance on the other hand refers to the pattern of inheritance in which the traits do not separate and are not in agreement or accordance with Mendel's laws.... It should be noted that, while most of the genes in the eukaryotic species follow the Mendelian pattern of inheritance, some of them do not....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

1927 U.S. Supreme Court case of Buck v. Bell

Thus, the well-meant laws of state legislature could not but be upheld by the Supreme Court in deference to the wishes of the legislators.... Virginia's eugenic laws were defended by both conservatives and progressives.... The Buck decision came in 1927 and by 1937 thirty two states had enacted compulsory sterilization laws and five more could manage sterilizations without passing laws to that effect....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

Genetics of sickle cell

The genetics of sickle cell disease are discussed here, with respect to the inheritance of the disease, its molecular genetics and genetic variation.... shaped like a crescent.... The most common form of this disease is sickle cell anemia.... In anemia, the blood has a less than optimal number of red blood cells that are capable of carrying....
7 Pages (1750 words) Assignment

Barbara McClintock, Walter Sutton, Hermann J Muller, Carl Correns

Sutton believed that it was possible to apply the Mendelian Laws of Inheritance to chromosomes at cellular level of living organisations (Lynch, Jay, and Derek 56).... Walter Sutton, the proponent of this theory, believed that chromosomes are found in all dividing cells and are transmitted from generation to generation, thus forming the bases of inheritance.... These are the fundamental laws used for understanding natural selection....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Mendelian Law and Inheritance of Anthocyanin

On day 1, the seeds of F1 Brassica rapa species were selected from Wisconsin Fast Plants *F1 Non-Purple Stem, Hairless* and planted in a 13cm×9cm plastic container that is divided into 6 sections with two holes at the bottom of every section in a row of 3 seeds per section.... A.... ... ... After planting, the seedlings were watered on a daily basis with tap water and provided with LED light from a fluorescent tube to enhance growth....
2 Pages (500 words) Term Paper

Diabetes Type II Need to be Scanned in the UAE

This paper, Diabetes Type II Need to be Scanned in the UAE, stresses that the economic and global health burden of diabetes has prompted much research into the causes of it and ways to alleviate it.... Diabetes is currently one of the most prevalent chronic diseases of man.... ... ... ... According to the paper, the complexity of the disease has led to many variants of this condition; however, the more widely used method of classification is into two groups, type I diabetes or type II diabetes....
41 Pages (10250 words) Dissertation

The Process of Meiosis

This work called "Meiosis" describes a type of cell division where the cells divide to produce cells containing half the number of chromosomes.... The author outlines the key aspects of asexual and sexual reproduction.... From this work, it is clear about the history of genetics and some possible disorders....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us