genetics Areas of study

Areas of study » Classical genetics

Classical genetics, which remains the foundation for all other areas in genetics, is concerned primarily with the method by which genetic traits—classified as dominant (always expressed), recessive (subordinate to a dominant trait), intermediate (partially expressed), or polygenic (due to multiple genes)—are transmitted in plants and animals. These traits may be sex-linked (resulting from the action of a gene on the sex, or X, chromosome) or autosomal (resulting from the action of a gene on a chromosome other than a sex chromosome). Classical genetics began with Mendel’s study of inheritance in garden peas and continues with studies of inheritance in many different plants and animals. Today a prime reason for performing classical genetics is for gene discovery—the finding and assembling of a set of genes that affects a biological property of interest.

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