Source: Human-sex-Chromosomes, Tutor Vista
Source: Human-sex-Chromosomes, Tutor Vista
Sex-linked inheritance has to do with traits that are determined by genes located on the sex chromosomes. Sex chromosomes are the pair of chromosomes, usually designated X or Y, in most animals and some plants that determine the sex of an individual. The chromosome combination of XX results in a female while the XY combination results in a male.
Genes that are found on the X chromosome are called X-linked genes. Both females and males can inherit these traits. Sex-linked traits typically have two alleles for a particular trait, one dominant allele and one recessive allele. The phenotype may be masked in females if one of the X chromosomes contains a dominant gene for the trait. Since males only have one X chromosome, the recessive trait will be expressed if they inherit a recessive allele for a trait.
Watch this video to learn more about sex-linked traits, and see how offspring are predicted using Punnett squares.
Source: Chapter 14 Part 8-sex-linked traits, MrDBioCFC, YouTube
Complete the following chart by giving the phenotypes and genders for the following genotypes, XC gene for normal vision and Xc gene for color blindness.
| GENOTYPE | PHENOTYPE | GENDER |
| XCXC | Check Your Answer Normal | Check Your Answer Female |
| XCY | Check Your Answer Normal | Check Your Answer Male |
| XCXc | Check Your Answer Normal (carrier) | Check Your Answer Female |
| XcY | Check Your Answer Color blind | Check Your Answer Male |
| XcXc | Check Your Answer Color blind | Check Your Answer Female |