How Do Parental Genotypes Influence Skin Color Variation in Offspring?

  • Thread starter Thread starter colton4286
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Variation
AI Thread Summary
Skin color variation in offspring is influenced by multiple genes, leading to a polygenic inheritance model. The discussion compares two couples' genotypes: Couple 1 (aaBbCC) and Couple 2 (AaBbCc), analyzing their potential offspring's skin color range. A Punnett square can be used to determine the probability of dominant traits at each gene locus. The couple with the most diverse skin color outcomes is likely the one with the highest phenotypic dominance across the genes. Ultimately, neither couple can produce offspring with the extreme genotypes AABBCC or aabbcc due to their genetic limitations.
colton4286
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
Recall that some traits, such as skin color, appear to be controlled by several genes. This creates a continuum of variation. If this polygenic explanation for the inheritance of human skin pigmentation is correct, how do the skin colors of the following 4 individuals compare? Which of the couples could have children with the widest range of skin colors? Couple 1: aaBbCC and aaBbCC; Couple 2: AaBbCc and AaBbCc

My thoughts: Create a punnett square for each gene to find the probability of dominance at each loci. Would the couple with the widest range of skin colors be the couple with the largest phenotypic dominance for all 5 genes?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
What must the parents have to produce offspring of AABBCC? aabbcc?
 
Each parent must have a copy of the dominant or recessive allele but that can't happen with the genotypes they have.
 
Back
Top