Name___________________________
Mendelian Traits Exercise
Trait
Dominant
Recessive
Phenotype
Genotype(s)
Asparagus Odor
Detection
Detect Odor (A)
no odor (a)
Dominant /
Recessive
AA or Aa/
aa
Misophonia
Hate chewing sounds (M)
don't care (m)
Dominant /
Recessive
MM or Mm/
mm
A, B, AB, O
AA or AO/
BB or BO/
AB / OO
Blood Type (A,B,O)
A,B
O
Asparagus Odor Detection. The asparagus odor in urine comes from molecules that are made by the body when asparagus is broken
down. One of the molecules called "methanethiol," contains sulfur and has an odor like cooked cabbage. Some bacteria that are
used to make cheese produce methanethiol during the process, which gives cheeses like cheddar and Muenster their aromas.
Misophonia. Almost everyone hates noises like nails on a chalkboard, but for people with a condition called misophonia, everyday
noises like the sound of chewing can cause a similar reaction, along with rage or panic. Some scientists speculate that misophonia
could result from increased connections between the brain systems involved in hearing (the auditory cortex) and the "fight or flight"
response (the limbic system and autonomic nervous system).
Make a Punnett square to find the possible outcomes of the following combinations:
•
•
Your genotype mated with someone who is heterozygous for asparagus odor detection. If you have the dominant
phenotype, make two Punnett squares using both the homozygous dominant and the heterozygous genotypes. Only one
square is needed for the recessive phenotype.
% AA =
% AA =
% Aa =
% Aa =
% aa =
% aa =
Your blood type genotype mated with a person with the AB blood group. If you have two possible genotypes, make two
Punnett squares using both the homozygous dominant and the heterozygous genotypes.
% AA =
% AA =
% AO =
% AO =
% AB =
% AB =
% BB =
% BB =
% BO =
% BO =
% OO =
% OO =