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Applied genetics

 

Now, I know that you want to know what colors will give your pair. Knowing the color of your gerbil pair, usually isn't enough to guess what color will be the babies. There is so much recessives genes hidden that most of the time, you'll have to wait for the babies color to know the genetics of the parents. But if you know the color of the grand parents, you may know some of their genetics.

 

I'll give you some exemples that may help you to understand how to guess the babies color. I'll take for granted that you red all the previous pages about genetics. 

 

You can also go to the "Colors" page to have an idea of the colors I speak of.

 

Recessive genes

When a parent is a certain color (beside Agouti), you can be sure that the babies will carry that color as a recessive. 

ex: Black (aa) + Agouti (AA), will give Agouti babies with Aa

Argente (pp) + Agouti (PP), will give Agouti babies with Pp

Lilac (aapp)+ Agouti (AAPP), will give Agouti babies with AaPp

You'll notice that I removed all the other genes to make it simple.

Exemple 1:

When 2 Agouti babies with Aa are put together to form a new pair (let's say that it's 2 different families), here's what happen:

 

In blue is the parents and their genetic

In yellow is the possible allele each of them may give to the babies

In pink is the new possible genetics of the babies.

Male Aa

A a
Female Aa A AA Aa
a Aa aa

 

So if you remember the previous page, you'll know that:

AA is Agouti

Aa is still an Agouti

aa is a black gerbil.

 

 

Exemple 2:

You have a new pair and the breeder was nice enough to give you the genetic of your new gerbils.

Here is what you have: 

Male: Lilac: aaCEGpp  

Female: Argente Golden: AaCEGpp

 

To make it simple, I'll keep only the concerned genes.

Male: Lilac: aapp

Female: Argente Golden: Aapp

 

In blue is the parents and their genetic

In yellow is the possible allele each of them may give to the babies

In pink is the new possible genetics of the babies.

 

Male aapp

ap

Female Aapp Ap Aapp
ap aapp

Aapp = Argente Golden

aapp = Lilac  (That is the combination of Argente golden and black)

You may ask yourself why I put the 2 genes together in the yellow area.  In the sexual cells, they will give all the genes at the same time. Not one gene at the time in each sexual cell. 

In the Lilac situation, he will give ap and ap, so instead of making 2 columns, you make only one. But the results will be the same if you do 2 columns.

 

 

It's more or less always the same thing that you'll have to do. Take the info about your gerbil's genetics and place it in a board, split the alleles and pair them back to form the babies genetics. If you don't know anything about the parent's genetics, then you'll have to wait and see the babies! 

 

 

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