GENE MONSTER LAB INSTRUCTIONS
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You are scientist that breeds monsters. You have been hired by a movie producer to
breed the perfect monster family that will star in the newest Monsters, Inc movie.
You have to use your skills of genetics to create an adult monster, which will breed
with another monster and create a baby monster.
In this lab we will learn about some of the ways traits are passed from parents to
their offspring.
1.
Genes come in pairs. An individual (including a gene monster) gets one gene in each pair
from each parent. Parents, of course, also have genes in pairs. Which gene from each
pair a parent passes on to a child is determined by random change; there is an equal
chance that a parent will pass on either gene. In this lab, in order to determine which
gene is passed on by each parent, we will flip a coin.
2.
On the page labeled “Your Monster,” for each of the pairs of letters representing the
genotype of “Papa Monster,” flip a coin. If heads comes up, circle the left hand letter; if
tails comes up, circle the right hand letter. Transfer the circled letter (capital or lower
case) to the left hand blank in the column titled “Your Monster’s genotype.”
3.
Do the same for “Mama Monster’s” genotype, transferring the letter to the right hand
blank.
4.
For each trait, consult the “Gene Monster Trait Chart,” and your notes, to figure out
what phenotype will result from your monster’s genotype. Write that phenotype in the
appropriate blank in the column entitled “Your Monster’s phenotype.”
5.
Next mate your monster with another monster of the opposite sex. Do this by listing
your monster’s genotypes on the page titled “Baby Monster,” in the column headed “Your
Monster’s genotype.” List its mate’s genotypes in the column headed “Mate’s genotype.”
As before, determine the genes your Baby Monster will receive by flipping coins. Enter
them in the column headed “Baby Monster’s genotype.”
6.
For each trait, determine Baby Monster’s phenotype by consulting the “Gene Monster
Trait Chart,” and your notes. Enter each phenotype in the column headed “Baby
Monster’s phenotype.”
7.
Now draw your Monster and your Baby Monster. Use your imagination, but make sure you
show the phenotypes you have come up with for both monsters.
8.
Don’t forget to put your name on each sheet. Don’t bother to turn in this direction sheet
or the Trait Chart. Staple all other sheets together.
GENE MONSTER TRAIT CHART
DOMINANT/RECESSIVE TRAITS
1.
BODY SHAPE: The gene for Peanut shaped – represented by the letter (P) – is dominant;
the one for pear shaped (p) is recessive.
(PP) or (Pp) = peanut shaped; (pp) = pear shaped.
2.
HEAD SHAPE: Triangular (T) is dominant; round (t) is recessive.
3.
TENTACLE NUMBER: ALL gene monsters have two legs, but no arms, instead having
tentacles like an octopus.
Four tentacles (F) are dominant;
two tentacles (f) are recessive.
4.
TENTACLE LENGTH: Long (at least as long as the body) (L) is dominant;
short (less than half the length of the body) (l) is recessive.
Tentacle color varies; pick whatever color you like.
5.
BODY FUR COLOR: Blue (B) is dominant; red (b) is recessive.
See numbers 21-22 for body fur lightness or darkness.
6.
TOOTH SHAPE: Sharp triangular teeth (S) are dominant;
stubby, peg-shaped teeth (s) are recessive.
7.
TOOTH COLOR: Green (G) is dominant; yellow (g) is recessive.
8.
NOSE SHAPE: Long and skinny (L) is dominant; short, fat and lumpy (l) is recessive.
9.
EYE NUMBER: Two eyes (T) are dominant; one eye (t) is recessive.
See numbers 23-24 for eye color.
TRAITS DETERMINED BY INCOMPLETE DOMINANCE
10.
HEAD HAIR COLOR: B codes for blue hair; b codes for red hair;
hybrids have purple hair;
See number 17 to see if your monster has any head hair at all.
11.
TOOTH SIZE: H codes for huge teeth; h codes for little teeth;
hybrids have medium sized teeth.
12.
HORN SHAPE: C codes for curved horns (like a rams); c codes for straight horns;
hybrids have wavy horns.
See numbers 19-20 for horn number.
See number 15 for horn color.
TRAITS DETERMINED BY CODOMINANCE
13.
BODY SPOTS: SG codes for green spots on body fur; SY codes for yellow spots;
SO codes for no body spots.
Both SG and SY are dominant over SO
14.
TUSKS: TL codes for two tusks in the lower teeth; TU codes for two tusks in the upper
teeth; TO codes for no tusks.
Both TL and TU are dominant over TO.
15.
HORN COLOR: O codes for orange horns; o codes for purple horns;
hybrids have speckled orange and purple horns.
SEX OR X LINKED TRAITS
16.
SEX: Males are XY; females are XX. Whichever letter you circled on Papa Monster’s
genotype on number 16, circle the same letter on his genotype on 17 and 18 (so that your
monster’s sex remains the same).
Males have brightly colored crests on their heads, and hairy ears; females do not.
Females have long eyelashes and pouches on both legs; males do not.
17.
BALDNESS: X, the normal gene, is dominant, and codes for the production of hair on the
top of the head. Xa is recessive and codes for no hair.
If any normal X is present, hair is present.
18.
NOSE WARTS: X is dominant and codes for warts.
Xw codes for the presence of large ugly warts on the nose.
TRAITS DETERMINED BY MULTIPLE GENES
19-20.
HORN NUMBER: Two pairs of genes determine horn number. Each H codes for
the presence of one horn; h codes for no horn. The total number of H in both gene
pairs-numbers 19 and 20-determines the total number of horns-one horn for each
H in either pair.
21-22.
BODY FUR LIGHTNESS OR DARKNESS: Two pairs of genes determine how light
or dark body fur is. P codes for the production of pigment (blue or red); p codes
for no pigment. The total number of P in gene pairs 21-11 determines how dark the
fur is; the more P the darker the fur. No P results in white fur.
23-24.
EYE COLOR: Two pairs of genes determine eye color. In gene pair number 23, R,
which codes for the production of red color, is dominant over r, which codes for no
color. In gene pair number 24, Y, which codes for the production of yellow color, is
dominant over y, which codes for no color. If both dominant genes are present,
R and Y, then eye color is orange.