Introduction to genetics

Chapter 14 Mendel and the Gene Idea Lecture Outline Overview: Drawing from the Deck of Genes The ?blending? hypothesis popular 1800s This hypothesis proposes that genetic material contributed by each parent mixes in a manner analogous to the way blue and yellow paints blend to make green. With blending inheritance, a freely mating population will eventually give rise to a uniform population of individuals. Everyday observations and the results of breeding experiments tell us that heritable traits do not blend to become uniform. An alternative model: the ?particulate? inheritance proposes that parents pass on discrete heritable units, genes, that retain their separate identities in offspring. Genes can be sorted and passed on, generation after generation, in undiluted form.