which of the following statements correctly describes a monohybrid cross?
Which of the following statements correctly describes a monohybrid cross?
Answer: A monohybrid cross is a mating between two organisms with different variations at one genetic locus of interest. The organisms in a monohybrid cross are homozygous for a trait (e.g., one is dominant and the other is recessive), and the cross is designed to study the inheritance pattern of that single trait (or pair of alleles).
Here is an example of how a monohybrid cross works, using Mendel’s pea plants to study the inheritance of flower color:
-
Parental Generation (P): Mendel would take two homozygous pea plants, where one plant has homozygous dominant alleles (e.g., purple flowers, represented as
PP
) and the other has homozygous recessive alleles (e.g., white flowers, represented aspp
). -
First Filial Generation (F1): The offspring from this cross (F1 generation) would all be heterozygous (
Pp
), showing the dominant trait (purple flowers) because the dominant allele masks the presence of the recessive allele. -
Second Filial Generation (F2): When the F1 generation is self-pollinated, the offspring (F2 generation) will exhibit a phenotypic ratio of approximately 3:1. This means about 75% will display the dominant trait (purple flowers) and about 25% will display the recessive trait (white flowers).
Phenotypic Ratio of F2 Generation:
- 3 dominant trait (purple) : 1 recessive trait (white)
Summary: A monohybrid cross examines the inheritance of a single trait, providing insight into how alleles segregate and how dominant and recessive genes appear in offspring. This cross is fundamental in understanding Mendelian genetics principles.
If you need further details about monohybrid crosses or have specific examples in mind, feel free to ask!