Assignment: Inheritance

Background: The images above shows an individual with a common thumb variant (recessive trait) and one with brachydactyly type D (dominant trait). The reduced length and increased girth of the distal phalanx in brachydactyly type D has to do with a mutation on HOXD13 (part of the hoxD gene cluster on Chromosome 2) that effects its pattern of development.

Your question: Considering that brachydactyly type D is a dominant trait, will it replace the standard recessive thumb over time?

1. Make sure you explain why you think the dominant trait will or will not replace the recessive trait. You will have to look over Mendel’s laws of inheritance to answer this question correctly.

Tips for sucess:

• Please keep the post to only what is asked in the assignment – Remember, do not paste your matrix in the post.
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• I highly recommend using Google Docs (Drive) to compose offline, as Google plays well with web-based forums. If you are using Microsoft Word to compose offline, you may need to do some editing to the format when you paste it into the reply.