Dragon Genetics by GenScope

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Today we will be using your knowledge of genetics to create a dragon family. You will be able to examine their alleles as you go to predict the next generation. You can also customize your dragon by changing its alleles. Follow the following directions to begin this program and become familiar with dragon genetics.

Directions:

1. Click on the GenScope icon which looks like a dragon and is labeled GenScope.

2. Open dragon in the small window that appears.

3. Click on the (Place female symbol here) symbol. This will create a new female dragon. She will be your first mom. You may name her if you like.

4. Click on the (Place male symbol here) symbol. This will create a new male dragon. He will be your first dad. You may also name him.

5. Look at your dragons and write down each one's characteristics in the chart on your student copy ditto.

6. Now click on the chromosome tool. It looks like this. This will activate a window so you can examine your dragon's chromosomes.

7. Click on your mom dragon and choose Chr1a & Chr1b and click. This creates the window to show the mom's chromosomes.

8. Now click on the dad dragon and choose Chr1a & Chr1b and click. You now have two separate windows showing both mom and dad's chromosomes. Move the dad's window over so you can see both at the same time. You can do this by click and dragging the upper bar of the window. You can page down on each of the windows by clicking on the side arrows. Fill in the chart on the student copy ditto. (Note: in humans females have XX chromosomes and males have XY. The authors changed this so the females are XY. They felt that not all species follow the human pattern and demonstrated this in their program.)

9. Now answer the questions below the chart.

10. Now design your dragons to look the way you want. Record their chromosomes. Make sure your dragons do not look exactly alike. There must be differences so we can examine their offspring.

Creating a family

Now we will create babies from your parent dragons.

1. On your original dragon screen, click on the cell tool. It looks like this (Draw cell tool here) . Then click on the mom dragon. Another window will appear which has three smaller screens. Now click on the dad dragon. In the window below you should see a cell in each left and right window. Above each window is the word Meiosis. These are cells from each parent. They need to go through meiosis to create four sex cells. Click on the arrows below each cell to start the process. You can then watch the cells go through meiosis. When it is done you will have four cells in each box.

2. We will now create a baby. Pick any of the four cells from the mom and drag it to the center window which is blank. Then take any cell from the dad and drag it to the center window. The word fertilization should appear at the bottom of the center window. Click on the arrow below to fertilize and create a baby. When it is done you can name your baby.

3. Complete this process for two more babies for a total of three babies in your family. You must end up with at least one of each sex. If you do not have both sexes in your children, continue making babies until you have a male and a female. You need this for the second generation.

4. When you are finished making babies, close all the cell windows at the bottom. You will only have your dragon window left. DO NOT close your dragon window.

5. Now fill out the chart on the student copy for three of the babies. Remember you have to click on the chromosome tool to create the windows

6. When you have finished filling out all the charts for the baby's chromosomes close out all the chromosome windows.

We will now create a second generation

1. Predict what the children will look like using the Punnett squares on your student copy and answer the questions.

2. Click on the cell tool and click on two of the children. Remember it must be a male and a female. The names of the two children of the first generation should be at the top of each of the meiosis windows.

3. Now create a baby in the same manner as before. Click the arrows below the parent cells to start meiosis. Then take a cell from each parent and drag it to the blank window and then start fertilization. You will do this for a total of ten dragon babies. When you are finished, fill in the chart on your student copy as to how many had which characteristics. Then answer the questions below the charts.

Student Copy Papers:

Student Copy

Name___________________________

1.

Mom Dad

2.

Mom Dad

3. Knowing that capital letters are dominant and lower case are recessive, what physical trait do you think each combination will create?

HH ___________________________

Hh ___________________________

hh ___________________________

WW _________________________________

Ww _________________________________

ww _________________________________

LL _____________________________

Ll ______________________________

ll _______________________________

4.

Male/Female

FF/F ___________________________

Ff _____________________________

ff/ f _____________________________

5. What allele combination makes these colors:

Male

Topaz ______________________________________

Bronze ______________________________________

Amethyst ______________________________________

Azure ______________________________________

Dead ______________________________________

Female

Emerald ______________________________________

Gold ______________________________________

Dead ______________________________________

6. Your customized dragons:

Mom Dad

7. Name________________________________

Baby 1 Baby 2 Baby 3

8. Using the two new parents, try to predict the outcomes of their children:

Horns:

How many have horns? _________

How many do not have horns? __________

What is the ratio of horns to not horns? __________

Wings:

How many will have wings? _________

How many will not have wings? _________

What is the ratio of wings to not wings? _________

Legs:

How many will have 4 legs? ________

How many will have 2 legs? ________

How many will have 0 legs? ________

What is the ratio? ________________

Name _________________________

9. Fill in how many had which traits.

10. Generally, did your predictions prove correct for the grandchildren?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. How did the grandchildren's characteristics compare to the grandparent's characteristics?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mutations Activity Name ______________________

1.What are the rules for horns?

HH gives ___________

Hh gives ___________

hH gives___________

hh gives___________

2.What are the rules for wings?

WW gives ____________

Ww gives _____________

wW gives ____________
ww gives _____________

3. What are the rules for Color A?

AA __________________

Aa ___________________

aA __________________

aa___________________

A aw _____________________

aw A _____________________

a aw _____________________

aw a _____________________

aw aw ____________________

A - _____________________

a - _____________________

aw - ____________________

How about the rules for Wings?

WW _________________

Ww __________________

wW __________________

ww __________________

W ww _________________

w ww _________________

ww ww ________________

4. Can you come up with a general rule that would apply to the inheritance of other mutations? Write it in the space below.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. There are more mutations. Se if you can find them. Write the various combinations of alleles and what the phenotype is for each on the table below:

a. firebreathing:

F F __________________

F f ___________________

F - __________________

f f __________________

f - ___________________

F ff __________________

f ff __________________

ff ff __________________

ff - __________________

b. horns

H h _________________

H H _________________

h h _________________

H HH _________________

h HH _________________

HH HH _________________

Do these mutations follow the general rule you wrote?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Name ________________________

Firebreathing Activity: Understanding a sex linked, recessive trait

Student Copy

1. Circle one

a. I believe that Joe and Jennie can have fire breathing children.

b. I do not believe that Joe and Jennie can have f\ire breathing children.

2. Circle one

a. I believe that Joe and Jane can have fire breathing children.

b. I do not believe that Joe and Jane can have fire breathing children.

3. Circle all the TRUE statements

a. All of Joe and Jennie's kids are fire breathing.

b. Some of Joe and Jennie's kids are fire breathing.

c. All of Joe and Jennie's fire breathing kids are girls .

d. Some of Joe and Jennie's girls are fire breathing and some

are not.

e. None of Joe and Jennie's girls are fire breathing.

f. All of Joe and Jennie's boys are fire breathing.

g. Some of Joe and Jennie's boys are fire breathing and some

are not.

h. None of Joe and Jennie's boys are fire breathing.

4. Circle all the TRUE statements

a. All of Joe and Jane's kids are fire breathing.

b. Some of Joe and Jane's kids are fire breathing.

c. All of Joe and Jane's kids are fire breathing girls .

d. Some of Joe and Jane's girls are fire breathing and some

are not.

e. None of Joe and Jane's girls are fire breathing.

f. All of Joe and Jane's boys are fire breathing.

g. Some of Joe and Jane's boys are fire breathing and some

are not.

h. None of Joe and Jane's boys are fire breathing .

5. Answer the question in the packet

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Answer the question in the packet

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Answer the question in the packet

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Answer the question in the packet

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9.