This is in response to a post below
I ran out of space, so there will be a few follow up posts.

**As said before, I am not a geneticists but I have taken several genetics, population genetics, and evolutionary biology courses.


Genetics 101 (as I understand it)

Genes are found on chromosomes and their location on a chromosome is called the locus (loci = plural). There are often several different mutations of a single gene, and these are referred to as alleles. The genotype is the combination of these alleles for a given character (melanin production for instance). The phenotype is the observable characteristic or trait of an organism (e.g. reduced melanin/amelanism/albino), which is often dependant on the genotype.

Nomenclature is a construct of man. It is way for humans to categorize things so they are easier to understand. In genetics, I am not aware of a single term specifically created to represent a doubly homozygous recessive genotype. The phenotype however can be called whatever we want, for example "Snow" or "Ghost". Realistically the genotype is what is important, not the phenotype.

Now, it is worth noting that NOT all phenotypic characters come from single-gene interacts like the examples follow. Human eye color for instance is control by multiple genes, also known as multiple gene interactions (check out google for more info.). Line-bred traits are traits that are likely control by multiple gene interacts, that for now, are too complicated for breeders to predict.

As far as resources go. Most of my knowledge comes from the classes I have attended and I cannot cite them directly.

A good entry-level (college) genetics book I have is:

Brooker, Robert. 2008. Genetics: Analysis and Principles. 3rd Edition. McGraw-Hill Science. p864. (You could probably go with an older addition to save money).

You could also check out:

Genetics for Dummies
Evolution for Dummies

Both can be purchased for less than $20 ea.


-----
Christopher E. Smith
Contact
Captive Bred Herps
Wildlife Research & Consulting Services, LLC

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