LIFE SCIENCES
GRADE 12 CAPS
STRUCTURED, CLEAR,
PRACTICAL - HELPING
TEACHERS UNLOCK THE
POWER OF NCS
KNOWLEDGE AREA:
Life at Molecular, Cellular and
Tissue Level
TOPIC 1.2: Genetic and
Inheritance
Terminology
SUMMARY OF PRESENTATION:
Introduction
Homologous pair
Chromosomes in Gametes
Genes:
Phenotype and Genotype:
Alleles:
Dominant and recessive:
Homozygous and heterozygous:
Genome
INTRODUCTION
Examined in Paper 2
48 marks
INTRODUCTION
Genetics refers to the study of heredity and
the variations of these inherited characteristics.
So lets look at heredity.
Heredity refers to the transfer of
characteristics from parents to offspring.
The set of characteristics that have been
transferred from parent to offspring is referred to
as inheritance.
HOMOLOGOUS PAIR:
Remember that human somatic cells have 23
pairs of chromosomes.
One set of 23 is of paternal origin and the other
set of 23 is of maternal chromosomes.
This means one set from the mother and the
other from the father.
This makes them diploid.
HOMOLOGOUS PAIR:
A pair of chromosomes, that are identical in
shape and structure, one from the mother and
the other from the father is referred to as
homologous chromosomes.
Therefore homologous pair refers to a pair of
identical chromosomes, 1 of paternal origin and
1 of maternal origin.
CHROMOSOMES IN GAMETES:
Sex cells only have 23 single chromosomes.
Therefore they are haploid.
This means that each sperm cell will only have 23
chromosomes and…
Each egg cell will only have 23 chromosomes.
Gametes have a haploid number of chromosomes
for 2 reasons.
CHROMOSOMES IN GAMETES:
These are…
1. They are formed by meiosis
2. During anaphase 1 the homologous
chromosomes separate and move into different
cells.
GENES:
A gene is a short portion of DNA at a particular
location on the chromosome.
This means that a chromosome is made up of a
number of genes.
The position that the gene occupies on a
chromosome is called its locus.
For example the gene for curly or straight hair is
found at a particular spot on chromosome
number 17.
Diploid cells will have 2 copies of a gene for a
particular characteristic. WHY???
GENES:
This isbecause diploid cells have homologous
chromosomes.
Therefore there will be 2 copies of chromosome
number 17.
Genes can control structural and physiological
characteristics.
Structural characteristics are things like eye
colour, hair colour and height, while
Physiological characteristics refers to the way
body works, like the rate of metabolism, the
predisposition to certain diseases and disorders.
GENES:
Theinheritance of characteristics that are
controlled by only one gene at a single locus on
the chromosome is called monogenic
inheritance.
Theinheritance of characteristics that are
controlled by more than one gene at more than
one loci on one or more chromosomes is called
polygenic inheritance.
PHENOTYPE AND GENOTYPE:
Phenotype refers to the external or physical
appearance of the organism.
Genotype refers to the genetic composition of an
organism.
The genotype determines the phenotype.
ALLELES:
Alleles are the alternative form of a gene
found at the same locus.
For example eye colour may be controlled by a
single gene.
The length of DNA making up this gene may code
for blue or brown eye colour.
This means that maybe alternative forms of the
same gene, for example for eye colour there may
be a gene for blue or brown eye colour.
This means that eye colour is controlled by 1 gene
with 2 alleles.
ALLELES:
That is an allele for blue eye colour and an allele
for brown eye colour.
A diploid organism may have the following
combinations of alleles.
a. 2 alleles for blue eye colour or
b. 2 alleles for brown eye colour or
c. 1 allele for brown eye colour and 1 allele for
blue eye colour.
Gametes have only 1 gene for each
characteristic.
Can you explain why???
ALLELES:
Because…
Gametes are formed from meiosis, therefore the
allele for each characteristic separate during
anaphase 2.
DOMINANT AND RECESSIVE:
There are 3 different ways in which alleles may
interact with each other.
These are…
1. Complete dominance
2. Incomplete dominance
3. Co-dominance
We will look at examples of all 3 types of
dominance, but for now we will only look at
complete dominance.
DOMINANT AND RECESSIVE:
In complete dominance one allele is
completely dominant over the other.
The characteristic controlled by this allele will
show up in the organism.
While the other allele is masked.
The allele that shows up is called dominant.
The other one that is masked, this means it does
not show up in the organism, is recessive.
DOMINANT AND RECESSIVE:
When an organism has a dominant and recessive
allele for a characteristic only the dominant allele
shows up while the recessive allele is masked.
The recessive characteristic only shows up in the
organism when that organism has 2 recessive
alleles for a characteristic.
TERMINOLOGY:
TERM:
Dominant
DEFINITION: USE IN SENTENCE:
Refers to a gene whose Brown eye colour is an
characteristic shows up in example of a dominant
the individual whether characteristic.
both the alleles are the
same or not for that
characteristic.
TERMINOLOGY:
TERM:
Recessive
DEFINITION: USE IN SENTENCE:
Refers to alleles whose Blue eye colour is an
characteristic will only example of a recessive
show up in the individual if characteristic controlled by
both the alleles are the a recessive allele.
same.
HOMOZYGOUS AND HETEROZYGOUS:
Homozygous is when an organism has 2
copies of the same allele for a certain
characteristic.
pure
Homozygous can also be called
breeding or true breeding.
If an
organisms has 2 opposing alleles for the
same characteristic the organism is said to be
heterozygous.
Heterozygous can also be called hybrid.
GENOME:
The genome refers to a complete set of all
the genes in all the chromosomes of a particular
species.
TERMINOLOGY:
Genetics: refers to the study of heredity and the
variations of these inherited characteristics.
Heredity: refers to the transfer of characteristics
from parents to offspring.
Inheritance: refers to the set of characteristics
that have been transferred from parent to
offspring.
Gene: is a short portion of DNA at a particular
location on the chromosome.
Locus: refers to the position that the gene
occupies on a chromosome.
TERMINOLOGY:
Monogenic inheritance: refers to the inheritance
of characteristics that are controlled by only one
gene at a single locus on the chromosome.
Polygenic inheritance: refers to the inheritance of
characteristics that are controlled by more than
one gene at more than one loci on one or more
chromosomes.
Phenotype: refers to the external or physical
appearance of the organism.
Genotype: refers to the genetic composition of an
organism.
TERMINOLOGY:
Alleles: are the alternative form of a gene found
at the same locus.
Homozygous: is when an organism has 2 copies
of the same allele for a certain characteristics.
Heterozygous: refers to organisms that has 2
opposing alleles for the same characteristic.
Dominant: refers to a gene whose characteristic
shows up in homozygous or heterozygous
condition.
Recessive: refers to alleles whose characteristic
will only show up in the homozygous condition.
1. The transmission of characteristics from parent
to offspring is…
A. Genetics
B. Heredity
C. Inheritance
D. None of the above
2. The set of characteristics that have been passed
on from parent to offspring is…
A. Genetics
B. Heredity
C. Inheritance
D. None of the above
3. A study of heredity is called…
A. Genetics
B. Heredity
C. Inheritance
D. None of the above
4. Different forms of a gene which appear at the
same locus is called…
A. Homozygous
B. True breeding
C. Pure breeding
D. Allele
5. The physical and functional expression of a gene
is…
A. Genotype
B. Phenotype
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A nor B
6. Organisms that have different alleles at a given
locus are…
