Siri_Lin
05-31-2002, 11:19 PM
O.k, I was about 2 classes shy of a minor in genetics ('cause they didn't offer that minor till after I graduated.) This is actually in answer to another thread, but I thought it would be better to make this a new thread so it didn't get buried.
Anyway, in answer to your question (and yep, I could follow it). If there was only one albino, ever brought to breed. Then yes, every albino ever produced since then is related. I think I remember there being more then one albino, but I could be thinking of some other kind of snake.
Quick 'n dirty genetics. Might be good to gather up 4 decks of cards before ya proceed, so ya can do it as ya read it. Visual example.
Explanation first:
(Sorry if parts of this are simplistic) Albino is one gene, need two copies to see it. If you have one copy for it, it's a het. Next, genes are on chromosomes and there are a bunch of chromosomes. When the pre-sperm/egg cell divides, the chromosomes randomly end up in each sperm/egg cell, AND only 1/2 of the total chromosomes in each sperm/egg. (Need two copies of each gene in a baby, baby is made from 1 sperm and 1 egg, so the sperm 'n egg need to be 1/2 the total, one gene-copy of each kind of gene.)
Also, when the chromosomes do that division thing, they also do a lot of weird internal switching around (ex part of chromosome A1 swaps with it's partner on A2). O.k. so ya end up with a sperm or egg that has one copy of every gene it needs, one of those genes is the albino (if the parent was an albino--had two copies of albino version gene). That pairs up with the egg or sperm (which has done all that shuffling stuff too.) And wha-la, baby snake.
Demonstration:
Think about it this way, you have an albino snake. It's genes are like two decks of cards with the King of Hearts in each deck wearing a mohawk.
#1 Ya shuffle both decks together really really really well then divide them out into two decks again, but only looking at the face side, not the backs (which tell you which deck they were from). Each deck is all mixed up, but with one card of each kind, including that King of Hearts with a Mohawk.
#2 Now, ya take one of those two decks and put it with another new deck (a normal snake). Ya get a het. Next, ya shuffle the mixed up deck from the albino with the brand new deck from the normal. That's yer het. Shuffle that up really really well and divide it out again like the first time. Two new decks, one of them will have that Mohawk. Kind of Hearts.
#3 Repeat step 2 with the other deck from the albino and another new deck (another normal) . Ya end up with two hets (aka 4 mixed up decks of cards in two separate areas-and 2 of those decks have the Mohawk Kings).
#4 Close your eyes and pick one deck from each separate area. Shuffle those together really really well. There's your baby from a het-het breeding. Now then, ya remember what decks ya used for each animal. Go through the double-deck ya just made in this step...sort the cards by what deck they came from. And ta-da, ya know where all those genes came from, and ya have a beautiful example of genetics.
And that process has been repeated every time there's been a breeding. So....if there was one albino parent for all the albinos there are now, they are all related by that one King of Hearts with a Mohawk, depending on how many generations there are between your snake and the original, it may have a lot or a few other genes from that same albino. If you want to do multiple traits, just make the starting parent decks with more odd cards. (ie King of Hearts with a Mohawk, Queen of Spades with a mustache, Jack of Diamonds with an eye patch). Percents are your chances of something being the way you want it. Recessive, means that ya can't see it if you only have one of the odd copies of the gene. So....if ya can't SEE it, ya can't be sure it's actually there **IF** at least one parent doesn't shows the trait (ie one parent is het). That's why percents are used, it's the chances that the gene-copy you want is there.
Hope the demonstration example is helpful. It's actually pretty close to what really happens with the genes without getting into the technical stuff.
Anyway, in answer to your question (and yep, I could follow it). If there was only one albino, ever brought to breed. Then yes, every albino ever produced since then is related. I think I remember there being more then one albino, but I could be thinking of some other kind of snake.
Quick 'n dirty genetics. Might be good to gather up 4 decks of cards before ya proceed, so ya can do it as ya read it. Visual example.
Explanation first:
(Sorry if parts of this are simplistic) Albino is one gene, need two copies to see it. If you have one copy for it, it's a het. Next, genes are on chromosomes and there are a bunch of chromosomes. When the pre-sperm/egg cell divides, the chromosomes randomly end up in each sperm/egg cell, AND only 1/2 of the total chromosomes in each sperm/egg. (Need two copies of each gene in a baby, baby is made from 1 sperm and 1 egg, so the sperm 'n egg need to be 1/2 the total, one gene-copy of each kind of gene.)
Also, when the chromosomes do that division thing, they also do a lot of weird internal switching around (ex part of chromosome A1 swaps with it's partner on A2). O.k. so ya end up with a sperm or egg that has one copy of every gene it needs, one of those genes is the albino (if the parent was an albino--had two copies of albino version gene). That pairs up with the egg or sperm (which has done all that shuffling stuff too.) And wha-la, baby snake.
Demonstration:
Think about it this way, you have an albino snake. It's genes are like two decks of cards with the King of Hearts in each deck wearing a mohawk.
#1 Ya shuffle both decks together really really really well then divide them out into two decks again, but only looking at the face side, not the backs (which tell you which deck they were from). Each deck is all mixed up, but with one card of each kind, including that King of Hearts with a Mohawk.
#2 Now, ya take one of those two decks and put it with another new deck (a normal snake). Ya get a het. Next, ya shuffle the mixed up deck from the albino with the brand new deck from the normal. That's yer het. Shuffle that up really really well and divide it out again like the first time. Two new decks, one of them will have that Mohawk. Kind of Hearts.
#3 Repeat step 2 with the other deck from the albino and another new deck (another normal) . Ya end up with two hets (aka 4 mixed up decks of cards in two separate areas-and 2 of those decks have the Mohawk Kings).
#4 Close your eyes and pick one deck from each separate area. Shuffle those together really really well. There's your baby from a het-het breeding. Now then, ya remember what decks ya used for each animal. Go through the double-deck ya just made in this step...sort the cards by what deck they came from. And ta-da, ya know where all those genes came from, and ya have a beautiful example of genetics.
And that process has been repeated every time there's been a breeding. So....if there was one albino parent for all the albinos there are now, they are all related by that one King of Hearts with a Mohawk, depending on how many generations there are between your snake and the original, it may have a lot or a few other genes from that same albino. If you want to do multiple traits, just make the starting parent decks with more odd cards. (ie King of Hearts with a Mohawk, Queen of Spades with a mustache, Jack of Diamonds with an eye patch). Percents are your chances of something being the way you want it. Recessive, means that ya can't see it if you only have one of the odd copies of the gene. So....if ya can't SEE it, ya can't be sure it's actually there **IF** at least one parent doesn't shows the trait (ie one parent is het). That's why percents are used, it's the chances that the gene-copy you want is there.
Hope the demonstration example is helpful. It's actually pretty close to what really happens with the genes without getting into the technical stuff.