Practice question

Standard pedigree nomenclature established by National Society of Genetic Counselors and published in American Journal of Human Genetics uses squares to denote male individuals and circles for female individuals, with shading indicating affected status and half-shading indicating carriers for recessive or X-linked traits. Diamonds represent individuals of unspecified sex. Horizontal lines denote mating or partnership, vertical lines descent to offspring. Consistent symbolism allows rapid recognition of inheritance patterns across families and publications. Recognizing squares as males remains foundational for interpreting sex-linked transmission and calculating recurrence risks accurately.