Mouse Genetics Part II

Learning Target

• Develop a model to show how sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.

Success Criteria

• Explore inheritance of two traits.

• Use Punnett squares to model the inheritance of two traits and predict probabilities of each offspring’s allele combination.

• Use two Punnett squares to model each trait independently, then multiply the probabilities to find the probability of a given allele combination.

• Use a single 4×4 Punnett square to model the inheritance of two traits.

Mouse Genetics - Part II (The Rodent's Revenge)

• In the Mouse Genetics (One Trait) Gizmo™, students learned to use Punnett squares to model the inheritance of a single trait, fur color. The Mouse Genetics (Two Traits) Gizmo shows the inheritance of fur color and eye color.

Gizmo Warm-up 

• On the Mouse Genetics (Two Traits) Gizmo, drag mice into the Parent 1 and Parent 2 spaces, and then click Breed to see their offspring. 

Experiment with different combinations of parent mice.

1. What must be true to have offspring with black fur?

2. What must be true to have offspring with white fur?

3. What must be true to have offspring with black eyes?

4. What must be true to have offspring with red eyes?

5. What must be true to have offspring with red eyes and white fur?

Activity A: Exploring inheritance 

Get the Gizmo ready:

• • Click Clear.

  • Turn on Show genotype.

Question: What patterns appear when two traits are inherited?

Observe: Breed a black-fur, black-eye mouse with a white-fur, red-eye mouse. Click Breed several times, and then drag two of the offspring into the Holding Cages below. Move the cursor over a mouse to see its genotype, or allele combination.

• What is the genotype of the black-fur parent?

• What is the genotype of the white-fur parent?

• What are the genotypes of the offspring?  

Analyze: The probability of an event is the likelihood that it will happen. Probability can be expressed as a percentage, such as 75%, as a decimal (0.75), or as a fraction (3/4). 

• What is the probability that an offspring mouse will have black fur and black eyes?

Predict: Click Clear, and move the two mice from the Holding Cages into the parent box. 

• What do you expect the offspring of these mice to look like?  

Experiment: Click Breed, and record the genotypes of the offspring on a sheet of paper. Repeat this several times to see a variety of offspring. 

• What genotypes do you see? 

Extend: Turn on Show statistics, and click Breed until there are 100 offspring.

• How many offspring have black fur and black eyes?

• How many offspring have black fur and red eyes?

• How many offspring have white fur and black eyes?

• How many offspring have white fur and red eyes? _

Back to Teams

• Compare your data from Activity A Experiment.  Did you have similar results?

Activity B: Probability and genetics 

Get the Gizmo ready:

• Click Clear.

Use the Gizmo to create an Ff Ee parent and an Ff ee parent. 

• Introduction: If two events are independent, the probability of both events occurring together is equal to the product of their independent probabilities. For example, if there is a 1/2 chance of getting “heads” on a coin flip, there is a 1/2 • 1/2 = 1/4 chance of getting two heads in a row. 

• Question: When traits are inherited, what is the probability of each offspring’s genotype?

• Model: To determine the probability of a trait combination such as black fur and red eyes, consider each trait separately. Fill in the Punnett square for each trait. Then determine the probability of black fur and the probability of red eyes. Express each probability as a fraction.

Predict: Now multiply the probabilities together to find the probability of black fur and red eyes. Express your answer as a fraction and as a percentage: —— _____%

Experiment: Turn on Show statistics. Check that the parent mice genotypes are Ff Ee and Ff ee. Click Breed until there are 500 offspring.

• How many of the offspring had black fur and red eyes?

• What percentage of offspring had black fur and red eyes?

• Your Own Experiment: Use this method to find the probabilities of other offspring trait combinations, such as black fur/black eyes, white fur/black eyes, and white fur/red eyes. 

  • Compare each predicted percentage to the actual percentage. 

  • In general, did this method work well?

Back to Teams

• Compare your data from Activity B Experiment.  Did you have similar results?

• Describe Your Own Experiment and the observations that you made.

Activity C: Expanded Punnett square 

Get the Gizmo ready:

• Click Clear.

Use the Gizmo to create two Ff Ee parents. 

• Introduction: A second method for calculating the probability of each offspring’s genotype is to use an expanded Punnett square. 

• Question: How can a 4x4 square model the inheritance of two traits?

• Model: Each parent mouse will contribute one allele for fur color and another for eye color. 

  • If a parent mouse is Ff Ee, there are four possible allele combinations the parent could pass to its offspring: FE, Fe, fE, and fe. 

  • The combinations are written along the top and sides of the expanded Punnett square, as shown below. 

  • Fill in the empty spaces to complete the square. Then write the probability of each offspring’s phenotype (physical appearance) in the spaces to the right. 

  • Express each probability as a fraction and as a percentage.

Experiment: Check that Show statistics is turned on. Be sure there are two Ff Ee parents. Click Breed until there are 500 offspring. Write the results in the table below.

Analyze: How well did the results match the predictions of the Punnett square?

Your Own Experiment: Try other parent combinations. Use any method to predict the percentages of each offspring’s phenotype. Use the Gizmo to test your predictions.

Back to Teams

• Compare your data from Activity C Experiment.  Did you have similar results?

• Describe your own experiment and the observations you made.

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