Final answer:
The question addresses principles of Mendelian inheritance, including the creation of Punnett squares for monohybrid crosses and understanding the genotype-phenotype relationship, as well as non-Mendelian inheritance patterns such as incomplete dominance and codominance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Principles of Mendelian Inheritance and Non-Mendelian Patterns
Mendelian inheritance refers to the principles of heredity established by Gregor Mendel. The three principles of inheritance are the law of segregation, the law of independent assortment, and the concept of dominant and recessive alleles. In a monohybrid cross, a Punnett square calculates the expected proportions of genotypes (the genetic make-up) and phenotypes (the physical expression) based on the alleles each parent can pass to offspring. For dominant traits, only one allele is needed to express the trait, while recessive traits require two copies of the allele for the trait to be exhibited.
A test cross involves breeding an individual with a recessive homozygote to determine the genotype of an individual with a dominant phenotype. Pedigrees are charts used to show the occurrence and appearance of phenotypes of a particular gene or organism and its ancestors from one generation to the next.
Some traits do not follow Mendelian patterns of inheritance and can include incomplete dominance, where neither allele is completely dominant, codominance, where both alleles are expressed, and other complex inheritance patterns like multiple alleles and sex linkage. These patterns can result in more varied phenotypic ratios than predicted by simple Mendelian genetics.