Taylor Stepan
Biology 30
Dragon Genetics
Unit 3 – Genetics
February 1, 2012
OBJECTIVES
This activity helps students to understand inheritance of traits. The curricular objective it
coincides with is “Discuss the relationships among chromosomes, genes, and DNA”. It
requires them to apply what they have been taught about inheritance of traits and how this is
affected by different occurrences such as codominance. This
activity helps to build on problem solving skills and in making
connections between information they have been presented
with and new situations.
ACTIVITY AND REPRESENTATIVE REPORT
These are found from pages 3-10.
NOTES ON THIS ASSIGNMENT
I found this activity on a website:
(http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/waldron/#dragon1)
I made some alterations from the original assignment to bring in more ways the students
could make connections between the assignment and their lives.
The report includes questions that demonstrate their learning in a way that asks them to
provide definitions. I am not completely happy with this, although after the definitions they
are required to make connections between the defined terms and where these might apply, I
still am not sure if these are the types of questions I should be asking to see if students
actually are learning and understanding.
I think because of the nature of the activity it does give the students a better understanding
of how a baby acquires its traits, in this way I like the activity. I also like the freedom for
students to create their dragon in any form they please.
Also, I would definitely follow up this activity with a discussion on the different traits and
what affects inheritance (codominance, sex-linkage, etc.).
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ASSESSMENT RUBRIC
The activity is worth a total of 50 marks.
Students will be assessed on:
Excellent
-All 5 tables are
completely filled out.
Table
(10 marks)
Questions
(20 marks)
Visual
(20 marks)
Good
Satisfactory
-All 5 tables have
-Less than 5 tables
information in them presented with many
but are missing parts. missing parts.
-All tables are
organized in the way
outlined on the
assignment and the
information is
correctly placed.
-Answers
demonstrate a
thorough knowledge
of the subject.
-Answers have many
connections between
what is recall answers
and where they apply
to “real-life”.
-Creativity and effort
are obvious in the
final product.
-A concise summary
of the “big ideas” or
revelations in the
process to determine
the traits is
demonstrated.
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-Tables have visible
organization but are
missing components.
-Tables are not
organized and there
are limited
components
included.
-Answers are correct
with minimal insight.
-Some answers are
correct, extremely
limited insight.
-Answers have few
connections between
questions and “reallife” application.
-Answers are straight
forward with no
connections made.
-Creativity and effort
are shown but
limited in the final
product.
-Many ideas
presented, not just
the main points.
-Little or no evidence
of creativity or effort
shown in the final
product.
-Only the final visual
of the dragon is
presented.
DRAGON GENETICS
OVERVIEW:
 You will produce a baby dragon from the random mixing of genetic traits by working in
pairs.
 Each of you will be a surrogate dragon parent (as such we will need each female
chromosome set [X/X] to be paired with a male chromosome set [X/Y] in order to produce
offspring).
 The homologous chromosomes will be separated according to Mendel’s law of Independent
Assortment.
 You will hand in:
 5 complete tables (organized the same as the ones provided).
 Answers to the questions.
 A visual representation of your understanding including your baby dragon in a
format of your choice (use ComicLife, a collage, a movie trailer etc.)
PROCEDURE:
1. Choose a partner carefully. You and your spouse will share the grade for this lab. Your
instructor does not care which partner worked the hardest. This is a no divorce classroom. The
lab must be completed on time.
2. Each partner must pick up five Popsicle sticks -- one of each color of
autosome, and one sex chromosome stick. Each side of a stick
represents a chromosome, and the two sides together represent a pair
of homologous chromosomes. You should have 10 popsicle sticks
total!
3. For each color autosome and then for the sex chromosomes, each
parent will randomly drop his or her stick on the table. The side of the stick that is up
represents the chromosome that is passed on to the baby.
4. The alleles from each pair of homologous chromosomes will be recorded in the data chart on
pages 3-4.
5. The decoding chart on page 2 indicates the phenotypic effect of each gene. The trait produced
by each pair of alleles should be recorded in the data chart. Remember that a CAPITAL letter is
dominant over a small letter [recessive] unless the decoding chart indicates those traits are
codominant, sex-influenced, or sex-limited.
6. Produce a visual representation of your understanding of why your baby dragon acquired the
traits that it did, in whatever form best works for you (keep the time frame for when this is due
in mind). Include the colours and all traits of your baby dragon.
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DRAGON GENETICS: DECODING OF THE GENES
CHROMOSOME
DOMINANT GENES
RECESSIVE GENES
Green Autosome
A. no chin spike
a. chin spike
B. nose spike
b. no nose spike
C. three head flaps
c. four head flaps
D. no visible ear hole
d. visible ear hole
E. [see codominant traits below]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Red Autosome
F. long neck
f. short neck
G. no back hump
g. back hump
H. no back spikes
h. back spikes
I. long tail
i. short tail
J. flat feet
j. arched feet
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Orange Autosome K. red eyes
k. yellow eyes
L. spots on neck
l. no spots on neck
M. [see sex-influenced traits below]
N. no fang
n. fang
O. spots on back
o. no spots on back
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Yellow Autosome
P. no spots on thigh
p. spots on thigh
Q. green body
q. purple body
R [See sex-limited traits below]
S. [See codominant traits below]
T. [See sex-influenced traits below]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sex Chromosomes U. regular thigh
u. pointed thigh
V. four toes
v. three toes
W. no chest plate
w. chest plate
X Chromosome Only X. no. tail spike
x. tail spike
Z. long arms
z. short arms
+ non-fire breather
- fire breather
Y chromosome only Y. male sex
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CODOMINANT TRAITS
E.
S.
eye pointed at each end
Red spots
e. round eye
Ee. eye round at front only
s. yellow spots Ss. orange spots
SEX-INFLUENCED TRAITS
M. wings
T. no elbow spike
m. no wings [dominant in presence of male hormone]
t. elbow spike [dominant in presence of male hormone]
SEX-LIMITED TRAITS
ONLY if male:
R. small comb on head r. large comb on head
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OUR DRAGON BABY!
TABLES: YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING AND COMPLETING 5 TABLES
TOTAL, ORGANIZED THE SAME WAY AS THE ONES THAT ARE SHOWN BELOW.
[INSERT COLOUR] AUTOSOMES (4 TABLES TOTAL)
Genotypes
Alleles in
Female Male
Egg Sperm
Phenotype of Baby (Trait!)
SEX CHROMOSOMES (1 TABLE)
Genotypes
Alleles in
Female Male
Egg Sperm
Phenotype of Baby (Trait!)
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QUESTIONS: ANSWER ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER (WRITTEN OR COMPUTER
GENERATED BOTH ACCEPTED)
1. How does dropping the stick on the table and transcribing the letters on the sides facing up
follow Mendel’s Law of Segregation? [First state the law].
2. Explain how dropping the green, orange, and red sticks illustrates Mendel’s Law of
Independent Assortment? [First state the law].
3. The gene for fangs is recessive, yet most of the dragons have fangs. How can this happen?
[Hint. The gene that causes dwarfism (achondroplasia) in humans is dominant.]
4. What is the sex of your baby?
5. What traits are sex-linked? [First define “sex-linked”.]
6. Identify any gene deletions or inversions in the chromosomes you have.
7. A) What traits are more likely to be found in males? [Consider sex-linked, sex-influenced and sexlimited traits.]
B) How might these be an advantage to this sex? [Be creative in your answers.]
8. A) What traits are more likely to be found in females?
B) How might these be an advantage to this sex?
**DON’T FORGET TO INCLUDE YOUR VISUAL DEOMONSTRATION FOR YOUR DRAGON
BABY!
HAVE FUN WITH THIS

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**JOHN THIS IS MY REPRESENTATIVE REPORT OF WHAT I EXPECT
OF THE STUDENTS.
OUR DRAGON BABY!
TABLES:
GREEN AUTOSOMES
Genotypes
Alleles in
Female Male
Egg Sperm
AA
Bb
Cc
Dd
Ee
aa
bb
CC
dee
A
B
C
D
E
Phenotype of Baby (Trait!)
a
b
C
d
e
No chin spike
Nose spike
Three head flaps
No visible ear hole
Eye round at front only
RED AUTOSOMES
Genotypes
Alleles in
Female Male
Egg Sperm
Ff
gg
Hh
Ii
JJ
ff
GG
HH
Ijj
F
g
h
i
J
Phenotype of Baby (Trait!)
f
G
H
I
j
Long neck
No back hump
No back spikes
Long tail
Flat feet
ORANGE AUTOSOMES
Genotypes
Alleles in
Female Male
Egg Sperm
kk
Ll
MM
nn
o-
kk
Ll
MM
nn
OO
k
L
M
n
o
Phenotype of Baby (Trait!)
k
l
M
n
O
Yellow eyes
Spots on neck
No wings
Fang
Spots on back
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YELLOW AUTOSOMES
Genotypes
Alleles in
Female Male
Egg Sperm
Pp
Qq
RR
SS
Tt
Pp
qq
Rr
ss
TT
p
q
R
S
t
Phenotype of Baby (Trait!)
P
q
R
s
T
No spots on thigh
Purple body
Small comb on head
Orange spots
Elbow spike
SEX CHROMOSOMES
Genotypes
Alleles in
Female Male
Egg Sperm
uu
vv
ww
xx
Yy
Zz
+-
Uu
Vv
W
X
Y
Z
+
u
v
w
x
Phenotype of Baby (Trait!)
u
v
Pointed thigh
Three toes
Chest plate
Tail Spike
Male…
Long arms
Non-fire breather
Y
Z
+
QUESTIONS:
1. How does dropping the stick on the table and transcribing the letters on the sides facing up
follow Mendel’s Law of Segregation? [First state the law in your own words].
Mendel’s Law of Segregation: members of a pair of homologous chromosomes separate during the formation of
gametes and are distributed to different gametes so that every gamete receives only one member of the pair. This
process has represented this by bringing about a circumstance that lets chance decide which alleles are passed on to
young.
2. Explain how dropping the green, orange, and red sticks illustrates Mendel’s Law of
Independent Assortment? [First state the law].
Mendel’s Law of independent assortment: separate genes for separate traits are passed independently of one
another from parents to offspring. All of the traits on these chromosomes were unlinked, therefore they assorted
independently. I know this because there were no indications of the traits being linked in the genotypic key
provided.
3. The gene for fangs is recessive, yet most of the dragons have fangs. How can this happen?
[Hint. The gene that causes dwarfism (achondroplasia) in humans is dominant.]
When a gene is dominant it does not mean that it is more prevalent in the population, it simply means that when
in combination, with a recessive gene, the dominant trait will show. Essentially, fangs can be recessive and a trait
that is seen very often if the gene pool provides mostly recessive alleles (as a heterozygote would provide the no fangs
trait).
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4. What is the sex of your baby?
Male.
5. What traits are sex-linked? [First define “sex-linked”.]
Sex-linked genes are genes that are located on a sex chromosome (typically X chromosome), resulting in a
distinctive pattern of inheritance. None of the traits are sex-linked.
6. Identify any gene deletions or inversions in the chromosomes you have.
The baby dragon didn’t inherit any deletions or inversions but the parents had some. A deletion can cause many
issues for the offspring, just as inversions can.
7. A) What traits are more likely to be found in males? [Consider sex-linked, sex-influenced and sexlimited traits.]
Comb, elbow spike, chest plate, tail spike, short arms.
B) How might these be an advantage to this sex? [Be creative in your answers.]
Any answers really will be acceptable.
8. A) What traits are more likely to be found in females?
Wings, long arms,
B) How might these be an advantage to this sex?
Any answers really will be acceptable.
VISUAL:
THERE WOULD BE AN INCLUDED VISUAL OF THEIR UNDERSTANDING…
POSSIBLY IN THE FORM OF COMIC LIFE OR SOME OTHER EASY TO USE PROGRAM.
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