Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
The pedigree shows a family with haemophilia. The mother I-2 is a carrier, and the father I-1 is normal. II-1 is their normal daughter, and she marries a normal man. Nobody in the family of the man has haemophilia.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Given. I-1 is and I-2 is . II-1 is normal and marries a normal man.
Plan. Find the chance that II-1 is a carrier. Then use the chance that a carrier mother has a haemophilic son.
Step 1. (a) The daughters of and are and , in equal numbers. II-1 is normal, which both are, so the chance that she is a carrier is .
Step 2. (b) For a haemophilic son she must be a carrier, which has a chance of . A carrier mother and a normal father have a haemophilic son with a chance of for each child. Together: .
Step 3. (c) A haemophilic son can come only from a carrier mother, so II-1 is now certainly a carrier. The chance for each child is .
Answer: ; ; .
Check. The chance in (c) is higher than in (b), because we now know that II-1 is a carrier.
Watch out. The chance for the second child does not become one half. Having one affected son does not change the chance for the next child, once the mother is known to be a carrier.
Log in to join the discussion.
Loading…
An X-linked recessive allele (h) shows in every man who has it, and in a woman only if she has two copies. A carrier woman is . Carrier mother × normal father: one quarter of all the children are haemophilic sons. Haemophilic father × normal mother: all daughters are carriers and all sons are normal.
With Standard, you also open 12 more problems, 2 Python labs and 1 extra course. Everything you have used here stays free, always.