theres one thing i dont understand about these cross breeding experiments which aim to give us a chromosome map. Lets look at a three factor cross:
AaBb/ aabb............recomination rate 6%- so these two are 6 map units apart
therefore it may be ....B...(6)...A.... or .....A...(6)...B..
(ie B may be either side of A, so it isnt an accurate map yet)
so we do another two crosses:
AaCc/ aacc...........recombination rate 12%
BbCc/ bbcc.............recombinatino rate 18%
therefore, C is 12 units from A, and B is 18 units from C
so.....C.......(12).........A...(6)...B
according to the textbooks, we now have our relative position of genes- a chromosome map. but, can't the genes be arranged this way aswell?:
....B...(6)...A......(12)......C
so our second two crosses havent got us any closer to a real chromosome map: the same problem as crossing A and B alone is still present- both mirror images are equally plausible
so, if an exam says: explain how cross breeding experiments can identify the relatvie position of genes. we can theoretically just say the recombination rates from a single cross (ie A and B) show how far apart the genes are.
in reality this will be wrong- they want you to say that a 3rd factor (ie C) must be crossed against both to get an accurate relative arrangement. but the arrangement of A and B is no more clear than before. we just know the relative position of C as well. If you had never heard the words "roof" and "floor" before, this situation is kinda like knowing that the roof and floor of a house are 3m apart, but not knowing if its the roof you're standing or if its the floor- either way they're still 3 m apart.
anyone care to explain?