Final answer:
Deafness is inherited as a recessive trait in the given pedigree, where affected individuals have the genotype aa. In generation V, without additional information, individual 1 would be aa, while individuals 2 and 3 would be AA or Aa. Pedigrees and Punnett squares are critical for understanding and predicting inheritance patterns.
Step-by-step explanation:
Deafness in the given pedigree is inherited as a recessive trait. Since autosomes do not determine sex, the inheritance pattern is not related to gender and can affect both males and females equally. Affected individuals have the genotype aa, indicating that they must inherit two recessive alleles to express the trait. Therefore, unaffected parents producing affected offspring must be carriers, with a genotype of Aa. Geneticists use such pedigrees to trace the inheritance patterns of single-gene disorders like this.
In generation V, if we are referencing the same individuals labeled 1, 2, and 3 as in a previous generation (assuming these labels are placeholders), then based on the recessive inheritance pattern, individual 1 would be aa (affected), while individuals 2 and 3 would be AA or Aa (unaffected). Genotype cannot be exactly determined for individuals 2 and 3 without additional information, but at least one of their alleles must be dominant (A) since they are unaffected.
Understanding the principles of inheritance described by Mendel, including the relationship between phenotype and genotype, is crucial for such analysis. Moreover, Punnett squares and pedigree charts are vital tools that help to visualize and predict patterns of inheritance and can be particularly insightful for families concerned about hereditary conditions.