What Are Some Traits In Your Family?
Family Pedigree Project (Due: Tuesday, February 4th)
Purpose:
To use what you’ve learned about genetics to create a family pedigree that traces genetic traits
through at least 3 generations.
Objectives:
1. To recognize your genetic history.
2. To test select individuals from your family for several genetic traits.
3. To determine which traits are dominant in your family.
Introduction:
This lab project should follow the study of pedigree designs and human genetics. Four pedigree
designs will be prepared of you family’s genetics. You will construct the pedigree representing 3 or
more generations. The genetic traits that you choose must come from the list below. Begin at the
bottom of the pedigree with you and your genetic brothers and/or sisters. A square is used to
represent a male and a circle is used to represent a female. Shading of the square or circle indicates
the possession of the recessive allele trait. Shading of the right half of the square or circle indicates
that the individual is heterozygous for the trait. Each marriage or mating generation is indicated by a
Roman numeral. The square and circle are joined by lines indicating marriage or mating relationships.
Please review the pedigree shown to understand how relationships may be indicated.
Traits to pick from: Use your lab as a reference for dominate over recessive for each trait.
Bent little finger
Earlobe Attachment
Tongue Rolling
Hitchhiker’s thumb
Hand clasping
Widow’s peak
Mid-digit hair
Dimples (dominate over non-dimples)
Cleft chin
Extra Credit:
If you have a genetic disorder that runs in your family such as color-blindness (sex-linked), hemophilia
(bleeders disease, sex-linked), polydactolism (extra fingers and toes is a dominate trait that is rare in
the population), webbed toes, etc…., you can make an extra pedigree representing how this trait has
been passed through your family.
Procedures At Home:
Take this lab home and complete the following data table while looking at your family’s genetic history.
After you have collected all your data, construct 4 separate pedigree charts (on 4 separate pieces of
paper) following the example given. If you have a relative that you cannot find or who is unreachable,
put a question mark between the parentheses to the right of his/her name. If you have a relative that
is deceased and you cannot make any determinations about their traits, put a diagonal line across their
circle or square.
1. Below each person in the pedigree (circle or square), give the first name of the person with whom
the circle or square represents.
2. In the parenthesis to the right of the person’s name, give what genotype you think he/she has.
{Example: Joe (Ff) or Jane (SS) or Sue (?)}
3. If grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, etc…. are out of town, try calling them on the
weekend and have them check their genetic traits for you.
4. If you are adopted or don’t live with either genetic parent or if you cannot contact any of your
relatives for any reason, select a friend (not in my classes) or a neighbor and do his/her family
pedigree instead of yours.
5. Remember, the sample pedigree may be different than what your family will look like.
Tongue Rolling
I.
Great-Great-Grandparents
Cam (Rr)
II.
Jimmie (Rr)
Mandy (rr)
Melanie (Rr)
Allen (R)
Danny (rr)
Diane (R)
Parents
Danielle (rr)
Matthew (rr)
Derek (rr)
V.
Wilbur (Rr)
Grandparents
Richard (Rr)
IV.
Hattie (?)
Great-Grandparents
Sherry (rr)
III.
William (?)
Mallory (Rr)
Meagan (R)
Cam (Rr)
Gavin (Rr)
Brent (R)
Your
Generation
Emalee (Rr)
Triston (Rr)
Key
Female Carrier (heterozygous):
Male:
Deceased:
Female:
Male w/recessive trait:
Female w/recessive trait:
Male Carrier (heterozygous):
TJ (Rr)
Data Table: To be turned in with project.
Traits You Chose (possible genotypes)
Name
Relationship/
Generation