Chromosomes, Genes, and Traits: An Introduction to Genetics [Revised Edition]

Reviewed by Anna Bass, Associate Teaching Professor, University of New England on 7/1/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Overall, the text covers the majority of topics necessary for a 200-level introductory genetics course. I greatly appreciated the comprehensive and clear discussion of pedigrees and their usage.
I do wish more details regarding seminal experiments were included. The seminal experimenters are mentioned, usually in the introduction to the major sections, but details of the experiments themselves are absent. Moreover, Meselson and Stahl's experiment regarding semiconservative nature of DNA replication is absent from the text, which is unfortunate. An area also absent is population genetics. There is a reference to a chapter on Population genetics in the Evolution and Ancestry section, but I did not see this chapter in the text.
There are some other areas that I wish provided more details, such as eukaryotic gene regulation. Part IX: Eukaryotic Gene Regulation in Action: Examples from Development provides good introductions to chromatin remodeling, miRNA silencing, and transcriptional regulation, appropriate for this level. However, I found the discussion surrounding development to be too general and where specifics were provided it was a little unclear. I believe that I expected more functional information regarding gene regulation other than transcriptional regulation. That said Part VIII provided a strong overview of prokaryotic gene expression, especially the section on Lambda phage life cycle

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content seems accurate although there are some editorial corrections that would be useful. For example, the use of term equatorial as a synonym for equational division in Part III Mitosis and Meiosis was confusing.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content is up to date and while I've never written or worked with editing an OER, it appears to be formatted in a way that would be relatively easy to provide updates.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is very well written. The author provides simplified explanations engaging the reader and providing a better understanding of difficult concepts. They avoid jargon at times but use necessary vocabulary thus preparing students for upper-level courses or reading of primary literature. I like the discussion contrasting DNA content versus chromosomes, because the concepts of sister chromatids and homologous chromosomes seem to be quite difficult for students to understand. I appreciate a different approach to explaining these concepts.

Consistency rating: 5

The author is very consistent in the format providing objectives and introductions to all Parts (or chapters), while also using repetition or reminders to reinforce and link old and new concepts covered. This overall consistency is a strength, and the repetition/reminder strategy is a requirement in genetics.

Modularity rating: 5

The other strength is the modularity. I can see how it will be easy to assign sections or subsections to students over the course of the semester. The modularity also allows instructors to easily change the order of topics. While some genetics texts start with transmission genetics, Simons begins with an overview of structure and cell division and then transitions into molecular genetics framed by the Central Dogma. Transmission genetics is covered in the remaining sections. After teaching genetics for a while, I have come to appreciate this order, but also recognize that others may want to utilize a different approach.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The content is well organized, but also the modularity allows for modifications to the order. During my reading of the document and following the order of the table of contents, I occasionally wondered why a topic was briefly mentioned. Once I reached the area where more detail was provided, I was glad for the brevity of the previous mention and fully appreciated the scaffolding of concepts.

Interface rating: 5

I did not encounter any navigational issues, but a few images were a little grainy or the text referenced the wrong figure. Occasionally, the Test your Understanding questions didn't load correctly. Overall, the interface is very nice and easy to use. I primarily used the pdf to review, but toggled back and forth with the online version to confirm if issues observed in the pdf were apparent in the online version. Additionally, the online version was required to use the Test Your Understanding questions. Some of the formatting changed a bit in the pdf, but I don't think this is an issue for students.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Minor errors are present in the text and in some of the Test Your Understanding questions. However, the author does encourage readers of the text to report issues.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I found the text to be highly relevant. The language used throughout the text is inclusive and examples of different genetic disorders are relevant to many populations. There is also a frank discussion of "race" and the complications that can arise from the use of this term and the problems that can arise from ignoring cultural influences in reference to health care. I was very impressed with Part XIII Genetics of Sex. It was well written and provided an excellent introduction to the complexity overlooked by describing sex in the context of chromosomes alone.

Comments

The authors have created an excellent OER for Introductory Genetics. I look forward to using it during my course.

Reviewed by Matthew Fujita, Professor, University of Texas at Arlington on 5/5/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This is a second edition textbook for an introductory genetics course. It is comprehensive and suitable for a semester-long course in genetics. The level of detail is great; it is not too much as to overwhelm students (such as some current textbooks), but also not so cursory as to make the topic unchallenging. I like how the book includes genomics topics (such as an early introduction into repetitive elements making up the bulk of eukaryotic genomes), which increases the relevance to today’s audience. I do wish there was some discussion on next and third generation sequencing technology; the authors do state that such topics change quickly, but in an education environment that is increasingly focused on skills development, this inclusion would be helpful. Another relevant topic to include is genetic engineering, given its popular appeal today (CRISPR).

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The book is accurate and I did not find any issues.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The textbook covers nearly all of the material that is taught in introductory genetics, and as such is very relevant. Some contemporary subjects, such as genomics, is integrated throughout the chapters rather than as its standalone chapter that we see in some textbooks. I do think that some topics should be included in future editions, most important being CRISPR given its relevance in genomics research today.

Clarity rating: 5

For the most part, the text is clear. It is straight to the point and succinct, which is probably good for some students who do not like verbose reading. For some concepts, such as supercoiling, the book links some very useful videos; these will be helpful in instruction.

Consistency rating: 5

The book seems to be internally consistent, which provides stability for the students. It will be easy to adopt the textbook as an instructor will know what to expect from chapter to chapter.

Modularity rating: 5

The book seems designed so that the topics can be arranged according to an instructor's preference. For instance, in many courses, genetics starts with Mendelian inheritance, while others start with the biology of DNA. Both are perfectly fine ways to conduct a genetics course, and this book is modular enough to do either.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics are organized into units that are appropriate so that one or two chapters can cover a week in an introductory genetics course. Each chapter starts with learning objectives and an introductory scenario that brings relevance to the chapter. Sprinkled throughout the chapter are occasional questions to check the understanding of the material. The end includes a wrap up and exercises. This is fairly standard for a textbook that is effective and efficient.

Interface rating: 4

The book is generally consistent but I think there is some room for improvement. The interface is good and is very much like a traditional textbook, which allows it to be adaptable. If I were to change one thing, I would make it so that the “Test Your Understanding” exercises are embedded into the text rather than having to click to go to another website. I understand that this is nice to have interactive questions but I found they interrupted the flow of reading the book.

Some chapters have fairly extensive review questions, while others just have a few. Some figures are clear, while others tend to be blurry and/or pixelated. These are minor and can be addressed during lecture or additional homework. For the figures, many of these are well-known and open source, so unless original figures are drawn, it would be hard to fix. The chapter on DNA structure is missing Figure 16.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The book was largely free of grammatical errors. If there were any, they were not major and/or are easily fixable.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I was very impressed with how the book highlights diverse individuals beyond the typical historical figures that we see in standard genetics textbooks. This will provide students with an increased sense of belonging. Furthermore, the book includes contemporary trends that will be familiar to students today; as an example, in introducing the topics of linkage, the authors have a short discussion about the ice bucket challenge as a way to raise awareness for ALS.

Comments

This is an impressive OER for genetics. I think with an expanded problem sets at the end of the chapter and perhaps even a study guide with answers, this will be a formidable resource for students and a strong competitor to publishers' books.