BIOL 202 Lecture Notes - Chi-Squared Distribution, Albinism, Red Color
Document Summary
By comparing the wild type species, which is found naturally, to a genetic mutant, it is possible to observe phenotypes. Prior to mendel, genetics was governed by a rule known as blending inheritance: in this theory, the offspring of a parent are a genetic mixture of both parents. For example, the child of a small mother and tall father would have a medium height: this theory was later disproved by mendel. Mendel chose to study the inheritance of characters, called phenotypes, whose expression is strong (usually visible) and strongly influenced by gene action. There are two types of crosses which mendel used on his pea plants: cross pollination involves transferring pollen of one flower"s anthers to the stigma of another flower. The anthers are cut off the receiving flower to ensure that it doesn"t pollenate itself: selfing is when the pollen of one flower are brushed onto its own stigma, which is essentially crossing the slower with itself.