Genetics Activity: Bloops Lab

The Genetics of Bloops

Expectation for performance: Develop and use a model. It should describe why descendants of asexual reproduction have the same genes and why offspring of sexual reproduction have varied genes.

Essential Question: Why do asexual parents make identical offspring? Why do sexual parents make varied offspring?

Genetics Background Information:

In this activity, you will build "Bloops" based on genetic information you gathered. "What are Bloops?" Bloops are a friendly species that are excellent for studying genetics! Bloops reproduce sexually (two parents). This assignment covers trait variation, not identical traits from asexual reproduction (one parent).

So, what exactly is genetics? It analyzes the heritage of characteristics from parents to their offspring. It contains both physical and behavioral traits. Gregor Mendel, born in Austria and lived from 1822 to 1884, became a botanist, professor, and clergy member. In 1865, he advanced the laws of inheritance. Heredity involves the transmission of traits from parents to their offspring. Mendel studied pea vegetation, putting the inspiration for modern genetics. From 1856 to 1863, Mendel cultivated and examined more than 29,000 pea plants. He concentrated on only seven pairs of characteristics. These factors encompassed plant stem height, flower color, seed color, and pod texture. He established a framework for passing down traits through units, now recognized as genes. Inheritance is based on the concept that offspring receive markers (traits) from their parents. Mendelism is another term used to describe these markers. Before Mendel, it was believed that a child's characteristics were a mixture of characteristics inherited from their parents.

Later research and the discovery of chromosomes backed Mendel's work. Chromosomes are molecules made of DNA, and genes are smaller segments of DNA. Mendel's work is further explained below using our understanding of inheritance today.

You get half your genes from your mother. You get half from your father. Genes are passed as separate and distinct units from generation to generation. Humans have 46 chromosomes, which are sorted into 23 pairs. Each pair includes one chromosome passed from the mother and one from the father. Each chromosome contains one allele. An allele is a different form of a gene. You can see them by looking at the other colors on the chromosome pairs to the left. For example, the mother's chromosome can have an allele for blond hair. The father's chromosome can have an allele for brown hair. The alleles code for the same trait – hair color. Remember, genes are the instructions to make proteins. Many genes can determine one or more characteristics.

Children can exhibit different combinations of characteristics, like hair color or eye color. For example, an heir could have either blonde hair and blue eyes or brown hair and brown eyes. Different attributes can be integrated, such as blonde hair with brown eyes or brown hair with blue eyes. One gene allele has more impact than the other when passed down from parents to offspring. The trait will "show up" in appearance. Mendel developed the concept of dominance from his experiments with pea plants. It was based on uncertain beliefs. The belief was that each plant carried two trait units (alleles). One unit dominated the other. The allele that covers the other is the dominant allele. The allele that gets covered is the recessive allele. 

We distinguish between an organism's appearance and the alleles it carries. The appearance is its outward characteristics. The traits we can see make up the organism's phenotype. The combination of alleles is its genotype. An organism's genotype is represented by a pair of letters for each gene, such as AA, Aa, and aa.

Dominant and recessive genes interact. They result in two possible genetic combinations: homozygous (AA or aa) and heterozygous (Aa). "Homo" represents resemblance, while "hetero" indicates distinction.

If you understand the parents' genotype, you can expect the probability of an offspring inheriting a phenotype. Expecting a child's traits involves probability. Probability is the likelihood that an event will happen. Chance is usually described as either a fraction or a percent.

In genetics, you can see a trait's chance in an offspring. You do this by picturing how the parents' genes might interact. This creates the possible offspring genotypes. These interactions are called crosses. Punnett Square diagrams display the potential genetic outcomes for one offspring. The genotype of one parent is displayed across the top, and the other parent's genotype is displayed down the left side. You match each allele vertically. This tells you a POSSIBLE genotype for one offspring. See the example to the right →. In this example, an offspring would have a 50% chance of having a Gg genotype (green pod color). They would also have a 50% chance of having a Gg genotype (yellow pod color). 

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Background Questions:

1. What is the difference between asexual and sexual reproduction? 
2. What does the term genetics mean? 
3. Gregor Mendel is known as the “Father of Genetics.” His studies supported the principles of heredity. What type of organisms did he study? 
4. Gregor Mendel discovered “units” of hereditary information known today as _______________.
5. What is the relationship between DNA, genes and chromosomes? 
6. You inherit _____________ of your genetic information from your mother and ________________ from your father.
   
7. Humans have _______ chromosomes which are sorted into __________ pairs.
8. What is an allele? 
9. What is the difference between a dominant and recessive allele? 
10. Genotype or Phenotype? Blue is an example of a __________________________________ and Bb is an example of a _________________________________.
11. Genotypes can be homozygous or heterozygous. What is the difference? 
12. What is the purpose of a Punnett Square? 

Bloops Traits:

In this assignment, you will create your own Bloop based on the genetic traits (characteristics) of the Bloop's parents. All Bloops will have the following traits:

• Egg-shaped head
• Plastic cup body (optional)
• Two antennae
• Nose
• Tail
• Eyes
• Wings

Bloops have also inherited several traits that may vary from Bloop to Bloop:

• Eye color
• Antenna color
• Tail shape
• Spotted or Striped Wings 

Procedure:

Part I: Determining Your Bloop’s Genotype:

1. Without looking into the bags, pick one bead from each of the four bags marked "paternal genes." Paternal means father.
2. Connect these four beads in the following order to make a simple bloop chromosome: eye color bead, antennae color bead, tail shape bead, wing bead. This represents a chromosome that your Bloop would have inherited from its father.
3. Again, without looking into the bags, pick one bead from each of the four bags marked "maternal genes." Maternal means mother.
4. Connect these four beads in the same order as you did to make another simple bloop chromosome. This represents a chromosome that your Bloop would have inherited from its mother.
5. Place the two chromosomes side by side, ensuring the beads for each trait line up next to each other. These lined-up colors represent alleles. Refer to the data table on page 4 to determine the genotype for the four traits described by the various bead color combinations. Leave the chromosomes on the table until you complete the next step.
6. Fill in the first three columns in the first data table on page 6 and the chromosome model.
7. Return your chromosomes to the front table once you're done with them to be recycled. Mrs. Gormley will separate them and place them back into the appropriate bags.

Part II: Determining Your Bloop’s Phenotype & Materials

1. Determine the phenotype for each trait Based on the genotypes you generated for each trait. Fill in the phenotype information for your Bloop in the last column of the data table on page 6. You'll need to use the data table on page 4 to know the traits. 
2. Based on the Bloop's phenotype, gather the appropriate materials for your Bloop and build your Bloop model.
   1. Eyes: Use red or green beads or markers (to draw on eyes)
   2. Note: Use a colored push pin (your choice of color)
   3. Antennae: Use the blue or yellow toothpicks
   4. Tail: Use a pipe cleaner (If your Bloop's tail shape is curly, wrap the pipe cleaner around a pen or finger to produce the curly effect. If your Bloop's tail is zig zag, bend the pipe cleaner back and forth to create a zig-zag shape. )
   5. Wings: Cut wings (any shape and size) out of the cardstock. Use a Sharpie marker or pen to draw spots or stripes on the wings. Next, push them into the side or back of your Bloop. (You may have to slice narrow grooves on each side of the body with scissors so the wings can be attached.)
3. If you would like your Bloop to have a "body," you can use the hot glue gun to glue the Bloop to an upside-down plastic cup. You may decorate and name your Bloop with markers if you want to. You can take your Bloop home with you on Tuesday!

Data Table:

Chromosome Model:

Label the 4 genotypes on the model of the chromosome pair below. Please refer to page 1 for an example. 

Bloop Model:

After you build your Bloop, please draw a model below. Please use colored pencils and be sure to pull the correct phenotype. 

EXTRA CREDIT! (This is optional if you want to challenge your science skills!)

Punnett Square Challenge:

Find a "mate" in class and complete the 4 Punnett squares below to determine the probability of the offspring's genotype and phenotype for the 4 different traits. 

Eye Color: Antennae Color:

Green Eyes: _____________% Blue Antennae: _____________%

Red Eyes: _______________ % Yellow Antennae: _____________%

Tail Shape: Wings:

Curly: _____________% Striped Wings: _____________%

Zig Zag: _______________ % Spotted Wings: _____________ %

GOOGLE DOC LINK:  Copy of The Genetics of Bloops Engagement Lab - Google Docs

REFERENCE: FACEBOOK -- MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS