Fur color in squirrels can be black, brown, or white. Black is dominant to brown. White results when the pigment produced by the skin cells lacks the enzyme necessary for its transfer to the hair follicle. The BB genotype will be black only if at least one copy of the gene necessary for deposition of the pigment is present (DD or Dd). If a squirrel inherits the genotype BBdd or Bbdd it will be white (epistasis). What proportion of the cross BbDd x BbDd will be black, brown, and white?

Question

Biology

Jerome Anthony

3 November, 04:30

Fur color in squirrels can be black, brown, or white. Black is dominant to brown. White results when the pigment produced by the skin cells lacks the enzyme necessary for its transfer to the hair follicle. The BB genotype will be black only if at least one copy of the gene necessary for deposition of the pigment is present (DD or Dd). If a squirrel inherits the genotype BBdd or Bbdd it will be white (epistasis). What proportion of the cross BbDd x BbDd will be black, brown, and white?

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Seamus Moore · Answer 1

We need to analyze all the possibilities of the offspring.

For black, we have to have at least one B and one D so, BBDD, BbDD, BBDd, and BbDd

For brown, we have to have both alleles bb and at least one D so, bbDD or bbDd.

All the other possibilities are white.

Now, we can draw a Punnet square crossing BbDd x BbDd.

The resulting offspring will be BBDD BbDd BbDd, and bbdd

this means, 75% will be black and 25% will be white.