monohybridissä

Monohybridissä is a Finnish term that translates to "monohybrid cross" in English. This concept is fundamental in genetics and refers to a cross between two individuals that are heterozygous for a single gene. In a monohybrid cross, scientists study the inheritance of one specific trait, observing how different alleles of that gene are passed down from parents to offspring.

A classic example of a monohybrid cross involves Gregor Mendel's experiments with pea plants. He crossed pea plants that were homozygous dominant for a trait, such as tallness (TT), with pea plants that were homozygous recessive for the same trait, such as shortness (tt). The offspring of this initial cross (the F1 generation) were all heterozygous (Tt) and exhibited the dominant phenotype (tallness).

When these F1 heterozygotes are crossed with each other, it constitutes a true monohybrid cross. The resulting offspring (the F2 generation) will show a genotypic ratio of 1:2:1 (TT:Tt:tt) and a phenotypic ratio of 3:1 (dominant:recessive). This predictable ratio, discovered by Mendel, provided crucial evidence for the principles of segregation and independent assortment, which are cornerstones of modern genetics. The study of monohybrid crosses allows for the understanding of basic Mendelian inheritance patterns and the relationship between genotype and phenotype.