Answer :
Let's break down the genetics question step-by-step:
1. First Scenario: Heterozygous Male (Ww) x Homozygous Recessive Female (ww)
- We're dealing with two genotypes: Ww and ww.
- When you create a Punnett square, you place the alleles of one parent along the top (W and w) and alleles of the other parent along the side (w and w).
- By filling in the square, you get the potential genetic combinations of the offspring:
- Top row: Ww and ww
- Bottom row: Ww and ww
- So, there are 4 possible outcomes: Ww, ww, Ww, ww.
- The question asks for the probability that offspring will be heterozygous (Ww).
- In this case, 2 out of the 4 possible offspring are Ww.
- Therefore, the chance of offspring being heterozygous is 2/4, which simplifies to 0.5 or 50%.
2. Second Scenario: Heterozygous (Ww) x Homozygous Dominant (WW)
- Here, the genotypes are Ww and WW.
- In the Punnett square, you place W and w along one side and W and W along the other.
- Fill out the square to find these combinations:
- Top row: WW and WW
- Bottom row: Ww and Ww
- Again, you have 4 possible outcomes: WW, WW, Ww, Ww.
- This time, the question asks about the probability of having homozygous recessive offspring. A homozygous recessive genotype is ww.
- None of the offspring in this scenario are ww.
- Thus, the probability of having a homozygous recessive offspring is 0/4, which is 0.0 or 0%.
In summary, there's a 50% chance the offspring will be heterozygous (Ww) in the first case and a 0% chance of having a homozygous recessive (ww) offspring in the second case.
1. First Scenario: Heterozygous Male (Ww) x Homozygous Recessive Female (ww)
- We're dealing with two genotypes: Ww and ww.
- When you create a Punnett square, you place the alleles of one parent along the top (W and w) and alleles of the other parent along the side (w and w).
- By filling in the square, you get the potential genetic combinations of the offspring:
- Top row: Ww and ww
- Bottom row: Ww and ww
- So, there are 4 possible outcomes: Ww, ww, Ww, ww.
- The question asks for the probability that offspring will be heterozygous (Ww).
- In this case, 2 out of the 4 possible offspring are Ww.
- Therefore, the chance of offspring being heterozygous is 2/4, which simplifies to 0.5 or 50%.
2. Second Scenario: Heterozygous (Ww) x Homozygous Dominant (WW)
- Here, the genotypes are Ww and WW.
- In the Punnett square, you place W and w along one side and W and W along the other.
- Fill out the square to find these combinations:
- Top row: WW and WW
- Bottom row: Ww and Ww
- Again, you have 4 possible outcomes: WW, WW, Ww, Ww.
- This time, the question asks about the probability of having homozygous recessive offspring. A homozygous recessive genotype is ww.
- None of the offspring in this scenario are ww.
- Thus, the probability of having a homozygous recessive offspring is 0/4, which is 0.0 or 0%.
In summary, there's a 50% chance the offspring will be heterozygous (Ww) in the first case and a 0% chance of having a homozygous recessive (ww) offspring in the second case.
