Bourke's: Rosy (Opaline) & Normal Genetics Chart

[Shirley]

Rosy (Opaline) and Normal (Wild color) in Bourke’s Parakeets
Color is Sex-linked, passed by the male.


The explanation below was provided and written in detail at my request by Birds of a Feather member Decapod73, our resident Chemist/Biologist.
First, remember that birds are WW = Male, WZ = Female. This is a reversal from people, where XX = Female and XY = male.


Let's simplify this:
Suppose Bourke's can have 4 wings or 2 wings.

Suppose a gene for 4 wings instead of 2 is recessive and occurs on the W chromosome. This means that if a male has two copies of the gene, he will have 4 wings, but if he only has one copy (only on one of the two W chromosomes), he will have 2 wings. Any female that gets the gene at all will have 4 wings, because she only has ONE copy of the W chromosome (and thus, cannot also have a copy of the dominant 2-wing gene at the same time).


So: If a male has 4 wings and breeds with a female who has 2, all of his daughters will automatically inherit the trait and have four wings, while none of his sons will – they will carry ONE copy of the gene, and appear normal. (The sons’ mother gave them a dominant copy of the 2-wing chromosome, thus they will be visually 2-wing.)

These sons are CARRIERS of the gene for 4 wings – they have a copy of it, but don’t show the trait because they also have a copy of the normal gene. If THEY mate with a two-winged female, all of the males will have 2 wings (and half of these will be carriers for 4 wings) and HALF of the daughters will inherit the trait and visually have four wings.

Science: In the laymen bird world… we say “split for” and in science we say “carriers” or “heterozygous”. In the bird world, we say “visual rosy” and in science we say “phenotypically rosy”. Phenotype is the scientific term for the general layman's term, “visual”. Normal split for Rosy means Normal carrying the Rosy gene or Normal heterozygous for Rosy.


Below is the Chi Diagram to show the color possibilities of the various pairings of Bourke’s. Remember, the Z chromosome on the female Bourke’s does NOT carry color. The W genes on all Bourke’s do carry color.


http://shirleymorgan.com/Bourkes-Rosy-Normal-Genetics.png

[Shirley]

I've labeled the pairs by alpha letters for ease of discussion, and corrected one color typo in offspring of pair "E".

[gary&chloe]

That is very nice Shirley. But I think you might consider going to bed a little earlier instead of staying up working all night....

A Bourke with four wings ....????

[Shirley]

Troy made this... I asked him what he was doing... and he said it'd be much easier for people to understand complicated things like this with something tangible that CANNOT happen like 2 wings and 4 wings instead of thinking about colors and getting all confused in the explanation. Making sense? Quiz tomorrow. :school:

[CocosMomma]

I don't know - the 4 wing thing through me off... I've never had Bourke's... I thought maybe the 4 wing thing explained why ya'all make such a big deal about Bourke's....

Do you suppose Coco's Sassy Gene resides on her W chromome, OR, on her W chromosome??:shrug2::rolleyes::nuts:

[Shirley]

:roflmao2: so much for being scientific.... :rofl: :nuts:

[Shirley]

I think I'll make a 3' x 5' poster of that and hang it at AAV next year.... Maybe Dr. C. can sit and watch and I'LL give the talk... :emot-danc :roflmao2::agree: :rofl: :nuts:

[CocosMomma]

I hope this means tomorrow's quiz has been cancelled?:confused::D

Whatever the quiz-question might be, it looks like I have a 50% chance of getting it right if I answer: 4 Wings.

[Shirley]

:doh: The answer is:

a) Normal

b) Rosy

c) Normal split for Rosy

d) Sterile, none hatched :rofl:

e) combination of all of the above :help:

[CocosMomma]

.....Four Wings.... FINAL ANSWER!:emot-danc

[Shirley]

You win.... free tutoring with Troy... :thumbup: :foot-tap: :funny:

[jimleasure]

i just watched a show on pbs about a four winged dinosaur. any one else catch it?

[Shirley]

No, but I'd like to...
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/microraptor/

[CocosMomma]

Didn't birds descend from dinosaurs?
See, Shirley - I might not need tutoring after all!:roflmao2::dance:

[Shirley]

haha! You're right, Robin, maybe you don't! I'll get the Bourke's busy now making 4-winged babies... got that show ordered and I'll make them watch it carefully....

Troy read this last night... and rolled his eyes back in his head, saying that if I hadn't asked SO MANY questions while he was EXPLAINING this to me... he never would have done more than put the chart on there, that it's all SO self-explanatory, and he wouldn't have used the "split-for" terminology as it's SO wrong... :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Then Dr. C called... and said ALL THE SAME THINGS to me! That the chart was ALL we needed -- and use heterozygous, not "split for". Hmmm. I've yet to hear "heterozygous" anywhere but the classroom or a science journal, and never heard it at a bird fair. Haven't heard phenotype, either. Just split-for and visual. (Parrotlets: "His phenotype is blue." never. "He's a visual blue." yep, heard that.)

:shrug: :shrug:

[CocosMomma]

The biggest words I know are sexually dimorphic and petulant... now I can start throwing around heterozygous! Hmmm... wonder if I could use all three of those in a sentence....:foot-tap:

Nah!:woot:

[Shirley]

Fortunately, the petulant little drab-colored guy was sexually dimorphic and thus could be ID'd in the line-up, but the fact he was heterozygous for brilliantly blue feathers was a complete surprise to us, as it became evident when the innocent little victim's eggs hatched! :thumbup:

[gary&chloe]

"heterozygous" ???? I hear guys at "bike" night at the "Outlaws" motorcycle club, talking about that all the time... It means "Heah, you guys...."

"Phenotype" is a chick that goes for guys that wear that cologne with the phenomone's in it... You know the stuff that you see in the ...GARY !!! They don't read "those" kinds of magazines..

"Will draw the women to you like bee's to honey. They won't be able to keep their hands off you." Doesn't work on my wife...

The really funny thing is, it does seem to work on Chloe. Another of my studies, I have found when I wear it, she is ALWAYS much more cuddly. I have use it 6 times now and EVERY TIME she snuggled right up under my chin and just laid there, like she was dead or something. Different temperatures, different moon phases, different times of the day... Same reaction.

Yes, I'm serious. Stop laughing. I am NOT crazy or obsessed.

[jimleasure]

they use heterozygous in terms with corn snakes a lot, i do believe

[Shirley]

Jim -- Ellen and I were just talking about how the reptile people understand these terms... such as... "yeah, I have 3.2.4 amels het for anery" and everyone knows what they mean... they use the scientific terms...
(the 3rd number meaning they don't know the sex yet)

They never say "split for" or "visual blue split for yellow"

GARY! Pheromones.... Phenotypes.... :help:

[gary&chloe]

Yeah... Pheromones... They're made from pig sweat.... I'm serious. That's why it is so expensive. Pigs don't sweat very much...

Can you imagine the guy who has the job of collecting the pig's sweat. How do you do that ??? A scraper ??? Maybe something like a sqiggy like you use to clean your car windows.

Maybe a special pig sweat chamie...

Yes. I am serious. I have done serious research on this subject. My experience has been that it works the best for older guys when they are trying to attract a younger woman.

Myself ??? I've had limited success, at best. I've been married four times.... It is very expensive. Not the cologne it's self but the trouble it gets you into when you stop using it.

See my post in the "What Do You Do" thread...

When we are talking about young ladies that are attracted by the pheromones in this special cologne, we refer to them as Phenotypes... That's all.

I didn't want you to think that we don't know what you are talking about. I know all about Phenotypes...

[CocosMomma]

Can you imagine the guy who has the job of collecting the pig's sweat. How do you do that ???

First, you have to make the pig VERY nervous.... show him some bacon, some ham, some nice mesquite charcoal and a fork. .... He'll start sweating...

(We've gone from 4-winged bourkes to pig sweat in... 22 posts!)

[Shirley]

OK, Gary... I hate to break this to you... but the last time I wore perfume or cologne was when I was in college, back in '71, and Ambush was the perfume of the day... Pheremones come from the organism, NOT from a bottle via some OTHER organism!

You're right Robin... let's get this turned around to something like, pecan pancakes with syrup and whipped cream! :drool2:

[scotty]

MAKES SENSE TO ME .........NOT !!!!!!!http://content.sweetim.com/sim/cpie/emoticons/0002007B.gif (http://www.sweetim.com/s.asp?im=gen&ref=10)

[arcadiareptiles]

I LOVE genetics. But im more into cornsnake genetics. their genetics can get pretty mixed up with tripe and quadrupal heterozygous genes in the mix. Or HET for shot :D. I took a genetics course both in high school and college. But the college course wasnt the best. I kept correcting my teacher.... -_-'

[Shirley]

Awesome! I can't begin to keep up with the cornsnake color genetics!!

[arcadiareptiles]

Awesome! I can't begin to keep up with the cornsnake color genetics!!
Once you get into it its very simple and VERY fun. my friend mentored me. she has almost every morph and she would send me photos and test me randomly during the day. what morph is this. what are its two homozygous traits being expressed at the same time.

for example : That snake is an opal.

what are its two homozygous traits being expressed at once: Lavender and Amel.

Its really fun. if you had MSN we could play the name that corn game lol. By the end of it id get turn you into a corn pro! :D

[Shirley]

That would be pretty awesome... now say "corn pro" very quickly time after time... :nuts:

[arcadiareptiles]

That would be pretty awesome... now say "corn pro" very quickly time after time... :nuts:

lol your so silly! :emot-danc. I'm SOOOO starting a thread just for you shirley. of course anyone can participate :D

[Shirley]

.... :emot-danc. I'm SOOOO starting a thread just for you shirley. of course anyone can participate :D

Cool! And I'll bet Decapod (my son) will participate as time permits! :thumbup: