Single Gene Inheritance

Explain the mechanisms of single gene inheritance, recognizing that certain characteristics are controlled entirely by a single gene.

Provide examples of traits controlled by single genes, such as fur color in mice or red-green color blindness in humans.

Predict the outcomes of single gene crosses using appropriate genetic diagrams.

Explain the fundamental genetic terms: allele/variant, dominant, recessive, homozygous, and heterozygous.

Describe alleles as the different forms or variants that a single gene may take.

Understand that a dominant allele is always expressed in the phenotype, even if only one copy is present in the genotype.

Understand that a recessive allele is only expressed in the phenotype if two copies are present and a dominant allele is absent.

Differentiate between a homozygous organism (having two identical alleles for a trait) and a heterozygous organism (having two different alleles for a trait).

Complete and interpret Punnett square diagrams and family trees to trace the inheritance of a single gene.

Construct Punnett square diagrams to make statistical predictions based on simple probability.

Use direct proportion and simple ratios when analyzing the outcomes of genetic crosses.