Take a ten question quiz about this page.Some traits are determined by multiple genes.One example of this is blood type where one parent has type A and the other has type B. Sometimes gene types have "codominance" meaning that neither gene is dominant over the other.If the two genes are different (for example Pw), this is called heterozygous.If the two genes are the same (for example, ww or PP), this is called homozygous.The physical appearance that results from the alleles (for example, the actual purple flower) is called the phenotype.All of an individual's genes together are called the genotype.Interesting Facts about Hereditary Patterns You can see that 50% of the children will have white flowers and 50% purple. Now look at what happens if only one parent has a single dominant P gene where one parent is "Pw" and the other "ww". In this example, one parent is PP and the other Pw.Īll of the children will have purple flowers, but because one parent has a recessive "w" gene, 50% of the children will pass on the "w" gene. However, 25% of the children have "ww" genes and will have a white flower. In this case, you can see that 75% of the children will have a dominant "P" gene and will have a purple flower.
Here is another example where each parent has a purple gene and a white gene (Pw): They all have the dominant P gene and will all have purple flowers. Here is an example of a Punnet square where one parent has two purple genes "P" and the other parent has two white "w" genes.Įach child has the same gene pattern "Pw". The purple gene is dominant and we write it "P." The white gene is recessive, so we write it "w."
We will use the example of a plant that could have a purple flower or a white flower. A Punnet square shows all the possible combinations of genes from the parents. The main way to figure out the pattern of inheritance that could come from two parents is using a Punnet square. bb - both blue genes (this person will have blue eyes).
Each gene tells the cell how to make a certain protein which may determine a trait such as the color of the eyes.Īllele - While the section of DNA is called a gene, a specific pattern in a gene is called an allele. Gene - Inside the DNA molecule are sections of information called genes. You can also go to our DNA page and our chromosome page to learn more.Ī few things you should know about genes and inheritance: We learned some of the basics about inheritance on the Mendel and Inheritance page. On this page we will learn how those patterns work. What genes your parents and grandparents have, affects what genes you have. Scientists have discovered that genes are inherited in certain patterns. Half of our DNA comes from our mother and half from our father. These traits are passed on by genes in our DNA. We all have heard how we get certain traits from our parents such as the color of our eyes or how tall we are.