Heridity 10th

Chapter 9 Heridity
Heredity
The transfer of traits from one generation to the next is termed heredity. Genes are the functional units
of heredity, that transfer characteristics from parents to offspring.
Genetics is the branch of biology that deals with the study of genes, heredity and variations.
Sexual reproduction
The mode of reproduction involves two individuals; one male and one female. They produce sex cells or
gametes which fuse to form a new organism.
Genes
Gene is the functional unit of heredity. Genes are short stretches of DNA that code for a specific protein
or RNA.
Every gene controls one or several particular characteristic features in living organisms.
Heredity
The process by which the features of an organism are passed on from one generation to another is
called heredity.The process is done by genes, which define the characters in the organism.
Mendel’s work
Gregor Johann Mendel, known as the ‘Father of Genetics’, was an Austrian Monk who worked on pea
plants to understand the concept of heredity.
His work laid the foundation of modern genetics.
He made three basic laws of inheritance – The Law of Dominance, The Law of Segregation and The Law
of Independent Assortment.
Dominant traits
The traits that express themselves in an organism in every possible combination and can be seen are
called Dominant traits.
In Mendel’s experiment, we see that the tall trait in pea plants tends to express more than the short
trait.
Therefore, the tall trait of the plant is said to be dominant over the short trait.
Recessive traits
A trait which is not expressed in the presence of a dominant allele is known as recessive.
So, recessive character/trait is present in an organism but cannot be seen if a dominant allele exists.
Monohybrid cross
When only one character is considered while crossing two organisms, then such a cross is known as a
monohybrid cross.
The ratio of characters, arising out of this cross, at F2 generation is called the monohybrid ratio.
E.g., If a tall plant (TT) is crossed with a dwarf plant (tt), we get 3 tall:1 short plant at the end of the F2
generation.
So, 3:1 is a monohybrid ratio.
Here, the height of the plant is considered at a time.
Below is the example of a monohybrid cross between a true-breeding pea plant with green pods (GG)
and yellow pods (gg). Here, the green colour of the pod is the dominant trait. Hence, in the F1
generation, all plants contain green pea pods.
Dihybrid cross
When two characters are considered while crossing two organisms, then such a cross is known as a
dihybrid cross.
The ratio of characters, arising out of this cross, at F2 generation is called the dihybrid ratio.
E.g., If a plant with round and green pea is crossed with a plant with wrinkled and yellow pea,
The first generation plants would all have round and green peas.
On crossing the same for an F2 generation, we would observe four combinations of characters in the
ratio of 9:3:3:1.
Thus, 9:3:3:1 is the dihybrid ratio.
Inheritance
In Biology, inheritance pertains to the transfer of traits from one generation to another.
Laws of Mendel
Law of Dominance says that a gene has two contrasting alleles and one always expresses itself in the
organism.
It is called the dominant gene and it expresses in any possible combination.
Law of Segregation says that traits get segregated completely during the formation of gametes without
any mixing of alleles.
Law of Independent Assortment says that the traits can segregate independently of different characters
during gamete formation.
Sex determination
The process of determining the sex of an individual, based on the composition of the genetic material is
called sex determination.
In different animals, the sex of an embryo is determined by different factors.
In humans, sex determination happens on the basis of the presence or absence of the Y chromosome.
XX is female and XY is male
An ovum always contains an X chromosome.
An ovum, upon fusion with the Y containing sperm, gives rise to a male child and upon fusion with the X
containing sperm gives rise to a girl child.
Traits
Traits are characteristic features of an organism, manifested in a physical form that is visible or in a
physiological aspect of the organism.
Acquired characters
The traits that are acquired by an organism over the period of its lifetime are termed acquired
characteristics.
These characters that are not passed on to the DNA of germ cells do not get transferred to the next
generation. E.g. loss of muscles and less weight due to starvation, loss of limb or tails due to injury, etc.
Inherited characters
The traits that are inherited from the parents are called inherited characters.
These traits always get transferred to the next generation but depending on the dominance or
recessiveness they may or may not be expressed.
Examples are height, skin colour and eye colour.
Variation
Variation is the measure of the difference between individuals of the same species. Offspring is not
identical to parents, there exist some variations. Each individual in a population differs from the others.
Recombination and mutation are the main causes of variations.
Sexually reproducing organisms show great variation among individuals of a species and the long-term
accumulation of variations plays a significant role in evolution. The selection of variants by
environmental factors is one of the driving factors of evolutionary processes.
Genetic variations
The differences in the DNA sequences among every organism leading to the diverse gene pool are called
genetic variations. These differences lead to different/varied physical characters or biochemical
pathways.

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Chapter 9 Heridity

His work laid the foundation of modern genetics.

So, 3:1 is a monohybrid ratio.

Here, the height of the plant is considered at a time.

Thus, 9:3:3:1 is the dihybrid ratio.

It is called the dominant gene and it expresses in any possible combination.

In different animals, the sex of an embryo is determined by different factors.

XX is female and XY is male

An ovum always contains an X chromosome.

Examples are height, skin colour and eye colour.

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