Genetics Calculator

[andreaS15]

Hey everyone.
I'm trying to learn more about Genetics, and i have a couple questions for the few of you who know genetics well.
Here at the AGS (http://www.agsgerbils.org/Color_Strip/index.html) Web Site, it has the different colour's and the genetics chart. Are These genetics true to ALL those colours?
I'm not to sure how to make this make sence, but i'm going to try.
Example - The site says "Spotted Black" = aa C* C* G* P* Spsp
Now is every Spotted black for sure going to have that genetics code? or are some going to be different depending on the parents?

I have downloaded the Gerbil Genetics Calculator and used the genetics code from the AGS Web Site to try and predict what colours I could come out with, with the gerbils I have now. Also what does " * " mean? and how does that work in the caculator?
When i put it into the calculator i used * as nothing, does it actually just mean double the letter it's beside?
Just want to make sure I'm doing this right.

I want to understand this a little better, but i'm a bit of a slow learner :p

Oh and if it say's "Undifined colour", what should i guess that means?

Thank's in advance everyone!

[Padfoot]

In genetics you have dominant and recessive genes. Dominant genes are marked with a capital letter (A) and recessive genes are marked with a small letter. Dominant genes show over recessive genes, so if you have a dominant alelle (A*) it doesn't matters what you have on the * (it could be A or a) so the * represents either of the genes. For example, if you have a gerbil that is A* it can be either AA or Aa and the only way to know for sure what it is, is pairing it with a gerbil that is aa. If you do that pairing, and your gerbil is Aa, then you'll have 50% chance of getting aa babies, but if your gerbil is AA, then all the babies will be Aa. The only way for a recessive gene to show up is if it is homozigous, which means that you need 2 copies of the gene (aa) Some genes are codominant, that happens in the C series of genes, where the c(h) and c(b) interact with the other genes to make the fur look lighter. The P gene also interacts with the other genes and lightens the color of the fur (besides the obvious effect of making the eyes red). That's why you don't have black gerbils with red eyes, but you can have grey gerbils with red eyes (lilac, sapphire and doves).
The combination you found for the the spotted black gerbil are the base genes you need for it to be a spotted black. All those stars mean that it can have either dominant genes (A) or recessive genes (a) there. The only difference between a black gerbil and a golden agouti gerbil (which has all dominant genes) is that they are self and don't have an agouti coloration. The agouti coloration has a lighter (white) belly and the hairs are one color at the base and a different color at the tip. The self color has the same color all over.
Undefined color means that they don't know what that gene combination will give (it could be either a new gene combination for a known color, or a completly different color)
I hope this has helped you a bit, and if there is any other doubt, feel free to ask... I love this stuff. 8)

[andreaS15]

I'm so glad your here Padfoot! :hug:
It's a bit confusing stuff this genetics, But i'm definetly learning more, and understanding it bit's at a time.

Let's see if i'm understanding a little bit more,
because my boy's are from a pet store, I do not know there parents. So if one is an "A" (white belly), and i breed it to another "A", if a baby comes out with a "a" it means one of the parents is carring an "Aa" ? or is this not possible?

[Abbey]

hi I'm only new to genetics too, but yeah I think thats right.
Each parent gives 1 gene, so if they both have 'A' and a baby with 'a' appears it means one or both are carrying a recessive 'a', and if aa comes up it means the parents are Aa and Aa..
I think.. lol :D

[Padfoot]

Yup, that's correct... but your boy (he's black, right?) does not has a white belly from the A gene. It is a big white spot, cause by the spotting gene. so if you pair him with a gerbil that is A*, and you get some aa gerbils that means that the female is Aa, but you know for sure that he is aa. Get it? Also, all the babies with A* will be Aa for sure, cause the only genes that the dad provides are recessive, so the dominant gene would be provided by the mom.