Download EWORP Alien Genetics

EWORP Alien Genetics
Introduction:
Background: Have you ever wondered why so many people can look
different from each other, even when they are closely related? Our particular
combination of features makes us unique. Just like in real life, the different
combinations are created by the union of egg and sperm cells during
fertilization. The alleles, (different versions of a gene), follow the law of
segregation and separate into different sex cells during meiosis.
Purpose: This activity is going to explore how organisms can vary greatly
with just a few characteristics to choose from. Several different methods of
genetic combinations will be used including: simple dominance, incomplete
dominance, polygenic, and sex-linked.
For this lab, you will be using the results of a coin flip to determine which allele
goes into the sex cells that produce your baby alien.
Materials:
Lab handout
Coin
Procedure:
Gene/Chromosome determination. For every different characteristic of the
EWORP, you will be tossing a coin to determine the paternal and the maternal
chromosome and the alleles on them. You will write the results of the tosses on
the data table and then determine the genotype and phenotype of your
EWORP. Some of the characteristics take more than one gene to determine the
phenotype.
Only one allele for each gene should go into a sex cell due to the law of
segregation discovered by Gregor Mendel.
 Heads = Capital letter (dominant gene)
 Tails = Lowercase letter (recessive gene)
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EWORP Traits: Genotypes and Phenotypes (10 points – Indicate which genotype)
1. EYE STYLE:
Straight (SS or Ss)
Droopy (ss)
2. SKULL SHAPE:
Almond (AA or Aa)
Balloon (aa)
3. LIPS
Full (LL or Ll)
Fluted (ll)
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4. SKIN/FUR COLOR
To determine the color of the skin or fur, assume three gene pairs are involved.
This is called polygenic inheritance.
Flip your coins to determine the genotype of the first pair of genes (AA, Aa or
aa). Next flip for the second and third pairs (BB, Bb or bb) and (CC, Cc or cc).
*You will flip your coin three times.
Color is based on the number of CAPITAL LETTERS. See the chart below:
# of CAPITALS
6
5
4
3
2
1
None
COLOR
Purple
Blue
Green
Yellow
Orange
Red
White or albino
FURRINESS on the different body parts. Use the following genotypes for all
areas:
Fur (FF or Ff)
No fur (ff)
5. ARMS ______
6. FACE ______
7. LEGS_____
8. TORSO______
9. EARS
EWOK alien ears (EE or Ee)
Mouse ears (ee)
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10. EYE COLOR
Eye color is also determined by polygenic inheritance, but this time it is only two
pairs of genes. Flip to determine the first pair (CC, Cc or cc) and then determine
the second pair (DD, Dd or dd). *You will flip your coin twice
GENOTYPE
CCDD
CCDd
CCdd
CcDD
CcDd
Ccdd
ccDD
ccDd
ccdd
PHENOTYPE
Black
Brown
Dark Blue
Brown
Brown
Light Blue
Dark Blue
Green
Pale or Ice Blue
11. HEAD HAIR
The last two chromosomes for an organism are called the sex chromosomes:
XX for females and XY for males.
 First, the paternal (male) will toss their coin to determine whether an X or Y
goes into the sperm cell. If heads then it is an “X” chromosome, if tails, then
you have a “y” chromosome.
 Then, automatically place a X in the egg cell (since females have only X
chromosomes). Record in your data table.
X
X or Y (flip coin to determine)
The traits located on the sex chromosomes are called sex-linked traits. “Pattern
baldness” is a sex linked trait carried on the X chromosome, so it is called X-linked.
Toss the coin to determine the allele on each of the X chromosomes for #11 in
your data table. If your EWORP is female, you toss twice, if male, you only toss
once.
Heads = XH
Tails = Xh
Has head hair
XHXH or XHXh female
XHY
male
Hairless or bald
XhXh female
X hY
male
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12. NECK SIZE
No neck (NN or Nn)
Long neck (nn)
13. BODY SHAPE
Round (QQ or Qq)
Long (qq)
14. BELLY BUTTON
Outie (OO or Oo)
Innie (oo)
15. NUMBER OF FINGERS (Incomplete dominance is a “blend”. Use different
capital letter for the alleles.)
Four (FF)
Three (FT)
Two (TT)
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16. FEET SHAPE
Paddle feet (PP or Pp)
Web feet (pp)
17. SUNSTANCE BREATHED (Incomplete dominance – like #15))
Breathes fire (FF)
Breathes smoke (FW)
18. WARTS
Attractive knee warts (WW or Ww)
BTW: EWORPS like warts!!
Squirts water (WW)
Naked knees (ww)
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Data Collection:
When you are finished completing this data table, use the back of this paper to DRAW and
NAME your EWORP offspring showing all the characteristics!
TRAIT
PATERNAL
ALLELE in
sperm cell
MATERNAL
ALLELE in
egg cell
EWORP
GENOTYPE
EWORP
PHENOTYPE
1. Eye Style
2. Skull Shape
3. Lips
4. Skin/Fur Color
5. Arms
6. Face
7. Legs
8. Torso
9. Ears
10. Eye Color
11. Head Hair
12. Neck Size
13. Body Shape
14. Belly Button
15. # of Fingers
16. Feet Shape
17. Substance
Breathed Out
18. Warts
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Data Analysis:
Answer the following questions below in complete sentences.
1. Briefly describe what your alien baby would look like at the end of this activity?
2. What was the probability of creating a boy or a girl alien baby?
3. Which parent actually determines the sex the child?
4. What is a genotype? What is a phenotype? How are they related?
5. In this activity, you saw that some alleles were dominant and some were recessive. Which
alleles were expressed? What happened to the alleles that were not expressed? This
situation aligns with which of Mendel’s laws?
6. You were asked to flip a coin to determine the various genotypes of your alien baby.
Briefly describe a coin to determine the various genotypes of your alien baby. Briefly
describe why you had to flip a coin.
7. For some traits such as hair color and eye color, you were required to flip the coin more
than once. Why did you have the flip the coin multiple times in order to determine those
traits?
8. What is the probability of getting a girl alien baby? What is the probability of getting
another girl baby? What is the probability of getting three girl babies in a row? Justify your
answer.
9. What is Mendel’s Law of Independent Assortment and how did it apply to this activity?
How does this law apply to genetic diversity in real life?
10. Get together with a partner and examine your alien baby’s head color. Create a punnet
square and identify the genotypic and phenotypic ratios of the offspring if your alien baby
and your partner’s alien baby mated. What are the genotypic and phenotypic ratios of the
offspring? Note: Head color is a sex-linked trait.
Conclusion:
Write 5-7 sentences about the type of data you gathered in this lab report. Address the following:
 Describe the role probability plays in genetics.
 Describe what you know about the Law of Independent Assortment and meiosis that
contributes to such great genetic diversity on Earth. What is your evidence of this? Use
data/information from this lab as evidence to support your answer.
 How does DNA contribute to what an organism looks like?
 How are traits passed down from generation to generation? Why are some traits more
prevalent (common) than others?
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