Research Labs

Honors Biology Blog

Research Lab

Today in class we continued our studies of genetics and advanced onto something that none of us had though of before...

Co-Dominance 

This is the first time that we have had to do problems involving traits that are not recessive and dominant to each other, rather the traits are co-dominant and can both show in the offspring. The example that Mr. Quick used to explain this unusual concept to us was Labrador Retrievers. The multiple shades of labs that are available on the market of dogs are largely due to co-dominant traits. This co-dominance allows for there to be white labs, chocolate labs, brown labs, black labs, and even silver labs.

But how does this happen?

A co-dominant trait occurs when there is a condition in which both alleles for a gene are expressed when present. This occurrence can be referred to as the "blending" of traits; however, there are other examples of alleles not solely being dominant or recessive.

Examples

Co-Dominace - Red X White = White/Red Spots

Incomplete Dominance - Red X White = Pink

Conclusion

There is still a lot to be learned about co-dominance in genetics, which we will cover next class. In the meantime, enjoy this beautiful specimen known as a Silver Lab!

(My Grandma has one named Suzy Q)