Summary

In this lesson you learned what cytoplasmic inheritance was and how it differs from the inheritance of nuclear DNA.  Cytoplasmic DNA is found in certain cell organelles, and can be passed on strictly from the mother, father, or a mixture of both parents.  Each species of plants can be different in the way cytoplasmic DNA is passed on, but the majority of plants have mechanisms in place to limit the possibility of passing on cytoplasmic DNA from the father.  These mechanisms include removing organelles from pollen cells, degradation of remaining organelle DNA, and the egg gate-keeper.  The identification of a trait that is controlled by cytoplasmic inheritance involves reciprocally crossing the plant with the trait to other plants and analyzing the ratio of seedlings that then have the trait.