For x linked genetic disorders The female with two x's can cancel out the x linked diseases on one of the chromosomes The male only has one x and one y, thus the male cannot cancel out the x linked diseases, law of segregation. In females, the effect of the mutation may be masked by the second healthy copy of the x chromosome. In contrast, females have two x chromosomes and require two copies of a recessive allele to express the trait The trait is usually a recessive trait
In humans and other mammals, biological sex is determined by a pair of sex chromosomes Xy in males and xx in females Male hemophiliacs inherit it from their mother, because hemophilia is only on the x gene and males only have one and it is from their mother. Since males have only one x chromosome, they express any allele present on that x chromosome, even if it is recessive This means a single recessive allele on the x chromosome is sufficient for a male to exhibit the associated trait. They are linked to genes found on sex chromosomes, the x and y chromosomes
For example, color blindness and hemophilia often occur more in males This happens because males have only one x. These females will pass the disease to half of their sons and will pass carrier status to half of their daughters Why are sex linked traits more common in males
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