C100 Biology

Part A: Design a Species
If you could genetically engineer any species of organism, what would it be? Would it be a unicorn? A dog-cat hybrid? Your own personal pet giant? Choose any species—real or not—that your imagination desires!
Write a paragraph describing your species, what it looks like, and where it lives. Think of any inherited traits the species has that might help it survive in its environment. Thinking of these traits now can help you come up with allele combinations in the next step. Now describe your species in the answer space.

Part B: Determine Trait Variation in the Species
For this modeling activity, assume that your species reproduces sexually. This assumption implies that it inherits half of its chromosomes from its mother and half from its father. Recall that in sexual reproduction, individuals inherit homologous pairs of chromosomes—one from the father and one from the mother. This arrangement allows for two alleles for every gene. The alleles can be dominant or recessive. You will model three traits controlled by three gene types on homologous chromosomes. Your genes should have these patterns of inheritance:

Trait 1: Simple dominant/recessive inheritance
Example: In pea plants, YY and Yy genotypes will yield yellow pea pods, but inherited yy will yield green pea pods.
Trait 2: Co-dominance
Co-dominance occurs when there’s more than one dominant allele and they express equally.

To get started, think about the traits your species needs to help it survive in its environment. Come up with variations of these traits. You can include neutral traits (variations that won’t affect the organism’s survival), and beneficial traits (variations that would give the organism a better chance for survival). You can even include harmful genes or genes that could cause genetic diseases. Fill in the chart with the traits you chose and the possible inherited phenotypes.