White fur (W) is dominant to black fur (w) in a species. Two individuals of Ww phenotype are crossed. What is the probability of the offspring having a Ww genotype?

Rationale

The probability of the offspring having a Ww genotype is 50%.

In a cross between two heterozygous individuals (Ww), the offspring can inherit combinations of alleles resulting from the parents. Using a Punnett square, we can determine that there is a 50% chance for the offspring to have the Ww genotype.

A (25%) YOUR ANSWER

This percentage would imply that there is only one combination leading to the Ww genotype among four possible outcomes. However, the Punnett square for a Ww x Ww cross shows two combinations resulting in Ww (Ww and wW), leading to a higher probability.

B (50%) CORRECT

In this cross, the possible offspring genotypes are WW, Ww, wW, and ww. Since Ww and wW both represent the Ww genotype, there are two out of four total combinations that yield Ww, resulting in a 50% probability.

C (75%) YOUR ANSWER

This option suggests that three out of four combinations would lead to a Ww genotype. However, the actual breakdown shows that WW and ww are distinct genotypes, and only Ww and wW provide the desired outcome, thus making this option incorrect.

D (100%) YOUR ANSWER

A 100% probability would mean that all offspring from the Ww x Ww cross would have the Ww genotype. This is not the case, as some offspring can also be WW or ww, making this choice inaccurate.

Conclusion

In the cross of two heterozygous white-furred individuals (Ww), the probability of producing offspring with the Ww genotype is accurately calculated at 50%. The genetic combinations resulting from this Punnett square analysis demonstrate that while there are multiple possible genotypes, only half of them yield the desired Ww outcome. Understanding these probabilities is essential in genetics for predicting traits in offspring.

White fur (W) is dominant to black fur (w) in a species. Two individuals of Ww phenotype are crossed. What is the probability of the offspring having a Ww genotype?

The probability of the offspring having a Ww genotype is 50%.

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