From a biological viewpoint, speculate as to why many traits seemto fit a normal distribution. Students with a strong background inmath and statistics may want to explain how a normal distributionis generated, and what it means. Can you think of biological examplesthat do not fit a normal distribution?

From a biological viewpoint, speculate as to why many traits seemto fit a normal distribution. Students with a strong background inmath and statistics may want to explain how a normal distributionis generated, and what it means. Can you think of biological examplesthat do not fit a normal distribution?

Human Heredity: Principles and Issues (MindTap Course List)

11th Edition

ISBN:9781305251052

Author:Michael Cummings

Publisher:Michael Cummings

Chapter1: A Perspective On Human Genetics

Section1.3: What Are Genes And How Do They Work?

Problem 1EG: Ancient societies used knowledge that traits are heritable in domesticating animals and developing...

See similar textbooks

Similar questions

When artificial selection is practiced over many generations, it iscommon for the trait to reach a plateau in which further selectionhas little effect on the outcome of the trait. This phenomenon isillustrated as shown. Explain why it occurs.
In domesticated dogs, size has a high heritability, andthe trait is determined by only a small number ofgenes. In contrast, genetic variation at more than180 QTLs explains only a very small proportion ofthe high heritability for height in humans. What couldexplain the missing heritability in humans, and howcould you test your hypothesized explanations?
What are some examplesof phenotypical characteristicsthat present two or morevarieties and of phenotypicalfeatures that do not vary? Inrelation to the genescorrespondent to thosecharacteristics that varyamong individuals what canbe expected about theiralleles?
What is meant by sayingthat in relation to a given traitconditioned by a gene withtwo different alleles thegametes are always “pure”?
In a controlled experiment, researchers manipulate one variableat a time. What was the variable manipulated in this study? Whydid the researchers use more than one hamster for each procedure? What traits of the individual hamsters would likely havebeen held constant among the treatment groups?
Ancient societies used knowledge that traits are heritable in domesticating animals and developing agricultural crops. What might account for the failure to recognize that the same processes operate in humans?
In a particular population of mice, certain individualsdisplay a phenotype called short tail, which is inherited as a dominant trait. Some individuals display arecessive trait called dilute, which affects coat color.Which of these traits would be easier to eliminatefrom the population by selective breeding? Why?
Most new mutations are detrimental, yet rare beneficial mutations canbe adaptive. With regard to the fate of new mutations, discuss whetheryou think it is more important for natural selection to select againstdetrimental alleles or to select in favor of beneficial ones. Which doyou think is more significant in human populations?
The following table gives the percentage of twinpairs studied in which both twins expressed the same phenotypefor a trait (concordance). Percentages listed arefor concordance for each trait in monozygotic (MZ) anddizygotic (DZ) twins. Assuming that both twins in eachpair were raised together in the same environment, whatdo you conclude about the relative importance of geneticversus environmental factors for each trait?
Alkaptonuria is a recessive autosomal genetic disorder associated with darkening of the urine. In the United States, approximately 1 out of every 250,000people has alkaptonuria.a. Assuming Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, estimatethe frequency of the allele responsible for this trait.b. What proportion of people in the U.S. populationare carriers for this trait? In this population, whatis the ratio of carriers to individuals affected byalkaptonuria?c. If a woman without alkaptonuria had a child withthis trait with one husband then remarried, what isthe chance that a child produced by her secondmarriage would have alkaptonuria?d. Alkaptonuria is a relatively benign condition, sothere is little selective advantage to individualswith any genotype; as a result, your assumptionof Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in part (a) is reasonable. Could you also use the assumption ofHardy-Weinberg equilibrium to estimate the allelefrequencies and carrier frequencies of more severerecessive autosomal conditions…
How much of a trait is genetically determined northe extent to which an individual’s phenotype ?
In an alternate universe, all the genes in all species haveonly two alleles, one dominant and one recessive. Wouldevery trait have only two phenotypes? Would all membersof a species that are dominant for a given gene have exactlythe same phenotype? Explain your reasoning.