Activity 8

Interpreting Pedigrees

Activity 8: Interpreting Pedigrees

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Activity 8: Interpreting Pedigrees

Get Started

A pedigree shows generations and relationships among biological parents and offspring. It also tracks which of those individuals have a specific trait.

Read the introduction.

Activity 8: Interpreting PedigreesActivity 8: Interpreting Pedigrees

What information can geneticists obtain by analyzing a pedigree?

Challenge

Activity 8: Interpreting Pedigrees

Analyzing Pedigrees

Activity 8: Interpreting Pedigrees

Pedigree A: Huntington’s Disease

Activity 8: Interpreting Pedigrees

Pedigree B: PKU

Activity 8: Interpreting Pedigrees

Pedigree C: Hemophilia

Activity 8: Interpreting Pedigrees

Examine the pedigree below for grain plants with a trait for a high amount of protein. What can you determine about the trait based on the pedigree?

Analysis 2

Activity 8: Interpreting Pedigrees

Follow Up

How do farmers and agricultural geneticists use the information provided by a pedigree to breed desirable traits in an agricultural crop?

Analysis 3

Activity 8: Interpreting Pedigrees

On the next slide is a pedigree for cattle that have been genetically modified to produce a human protein that helps prevent blood clots in humans. Using the information in the pedigree, answer the following questions:a. What type of inheritance mechanism—dominant,

recessive, or sex-lined recessive—is shown in the pedigree? Support your answer with evidence.

b. From the information in the pedigree from generation 3, can you determine if the gene is still present in the cow population? Explain why or why not?

Analysis 4

Activity 8: Interpreting Pedigrees

Analysis 4, continued

Activity 8: Interpreting PedigreesActivity 8: Interpreting Pedigrees

What information can geneticists obtain by analyzing a pedigree?

Revisit the Challenge

Activity 8: Interpreting PedigreesActivity 8: Interpreting Pedigrees

allele carrier Dominant pedigree recessive sex-linked sex-linked recessive

Key Vocabulary