Mendelian genetics
From EvoWiki
Mendelian genetics is the earliest and simplest form of genetics, created by Gregor Mendel, as an alternative explantion of heredity to blending. Mendel hypothesized that traits are controlled by units of heredity, now called genes, with different forms of a gene called alleles. Mendel's work can be condensed into two laws, the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment. Mendel discovered these laws when there was no established field of genetics and very little was known about biology at the molecular level, thus while Mendel's observations still apply, they are only a special case in a more complex field.
Law of Segregation
When any individual produces gametes, the alleles separate so that each gamete receives only one member of the pair of alleles.
Law of Independent Assortment
Alleles of different genes assort independently of one another during gamete formation (meiosis). This law has proven correct only on genes without linkage, thus it is more correct to say that chromosomes segregate independently (for another exception, see meiotic drive).
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This page is part of the EvoWiki encyclopedia of genetics and molecular biology. Topics: Genetics - Transmission genetics - Molecular genetics - Population genetics - Quantitative genetics - Molecular biology - Genomics |
