The genetic and the operative evidence relating to secondary sexual charactersMorgan, Thomas Hunt
Science
The genetic and the operative evidence relating to secondary sexual characters
Morgan, Thomas Hunt
Genetics; Poultry; Sex (Biology)
A simple Mendelian explanation covers the results. If we assume that the
Dorsets, both male and female, are homozygous in a factor for horns, H,
that is not in the sex chromosome, and that the Suffolks “lack this
factor,” _i. e._, that they have an allelemorphic factor for
hornlessness, the germ-cells are H-H and h-h, respectively. Only one
kind of individual, Hh, results in F₁. Since the male with this formula
develops horns, we must conclude that the presence of the testis
(through its secretions) causes horns to develop, while in the female of
this same composition horns are not produced because of the absence of
the testes. The sex-cells in these F₁ individuals are H-h and H-h.
Chance meeting of these gametes will give 3 classes of individuals,
irrespective of sex, namely, (1) HH, (2) Hh, (1) hh. The expectation for
the males is that those of the composition (1) HH and (2) Hh will
develop horns, while those of the composition hh will not develop horns.
There should be 3 horned to 1 hornless male. In the females we expect
those with the composition (1) HH to develop horns, since they have the
same formula as the pure Dorset; those with the formula Hh are not
expected to develop horns, because the F₁ females of this composition do
not have horns; those with the formula hh are not expected to develop
horns, because they have the same composition as have the pure Suffolk.
There should be 3 hornless to 1 horned female. Combining both sexes, the
expectation for F₂ is 4 horned to 4 hornless. Arranged according to sex,
these give the classes realized: Horned male, 3; hornless male, 1;
horned female, 1; hornless female, 3. That this is the correct
explanation is borne out by back-crossing the hornless F₁ female to a
hornless Suffolk ram. The former has two kinds of gametes, H and h, the
latter only gametes that bear the h factor. Half the sons should be
horned, half hornless, because half of them are Hh and half hh. But none
of the daughters should have horns, because neither the Hh nor the hh
females produce horns. This is the result realized, viz, 3 hornless
offspring to 1 horned.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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