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NEL Beyond Mendel 627

Exploration Inherited Traits

Some physical characteristics are controlled by a single gene

that can be expressed in one of two ways. Try the tests below

to see what phenotype you express.

• Fold your arms in front of your body.
  (a) Which arm is on top?


• Change arm position so that the other arm is on top.
  (b) Describe how it feels.


• Interlock your fingers.
  (c) Are the fingers from your left hand or your right hand
  on top?
  
  
  • Place a strip of PTC paper on your tongue.
    (d) Could you taste the paper?
  
  
  • Gather and compile the class data for all three tests.
    (e) For each test, which trait occurred most frequently in
    your class?
    (f) Do traits determined by dominant genes always occur
    with the highest frequency? Explain your answer.
  
  
  
  

Figure 1
Animal breeders produce varieties of a species with a specific set of traits, such as these
Appaloosa horses. The value of an individual animal is often determined by its bloodline, a
term that dates back to early misconceptions about heredity.