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Problem Set 2
1. In pea plants, yellow peas are dominant to green peas and purple flowers are dominant to white
flowers. For each of the following parental crosses, give the predicted phenotypic and genotypic
ratios of the F1 generation:
a. heterozygous purple-flowered x heterozygous purple-flowered
b. true breeding white-flowered, yellow pea x true breeding purple-flowered, green pea
c. heterozygous purple-flowered, yellow pea) x heterozygous purple-flowered, yellow pea
2. Purple (P_) is dominant to white (pp). You have a purple-flowered pea plant. You do not know
its genotype. Diagram the test-cross you would conduct to determine the plant’s genotype and
what results you would expect if the plant was heterozygous and if the plant was homozygous
3. You are studying five traits in Pentids, an amazonian flying beetle. You have identified each
trait as belonging to separate alleles located on separate chromosomes and have categorized those
alleles as A,B,C,D, and E, respectively. After years of controlled breeding experiments, you have
developed your Pentid lines to the point where you can control their genotypes with certainty. You
perform the following cross: P: AaBbCcDdEe x AAbbCCDdEe. Predict the probability of
recovering offspring of each of the following genotypes from this parental cross:
a. AaBbCcDdEe
b. AAbbCCDDee
c. AaBbCCDdEe
d. AaBbccDdee
4. Determine the number and kinds of gametes produced by the following individuals:
a. AaBBCC
b. aabbCCDdEe
c. AABBCCDdEEFf
d. aaBbCcDD
5. Polydactyl (extra fingers and toes) is due to a dominant gene. A father is polydactyl, the mother
has the normal phenotype, and they have had one normal child. What is the genotype of the father?
Of the mother? What is the probability that a second child with have the normal number of digits?
6. A genetic engineer was attempting to cross a tiger and a cheetah. She predicted a phenotypic
outcome of the traits she was observing to be in the following ratio: 4 stripes only; 3 spots only; 9
both stripes and spots. When the cross was performed and she counted the individuals she found
50 with stripes only, 41 with spots only and 85 with both. According to the Chi-square test, did
she get the predicted outcome?
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7. The allele for red feather color in pigeons, R, is dominant to the allele for brown feathers, r. A
red pigeon who had a red parent and a brown parent is mated with a brown pigeon.
a. Give the genotypes of the two pigeons being mated.
b. Identify the gametes produced by each of the pigeons being mated.
c. What proportion of the F1 progeny would be expected to have brown feathers?
d. If these pigeons produce five progeny, what is the probability that all five will be red?
8. True-breeding flies with long wings and dark bodies are mated to true-breeding flies with short
wings and tan bodies. All of the F1 progeny have long wings and tan bodies. If these are allowed
to mate and reproduce and the following results are observed: 44 tan, long; 16 dark, long; 14 tan,
short and 6 short, dark. Give the genotypes of the parents and the progenies?
9. In some breeds of dog, dominant B controls the characteristic of barking while trailing. If a
breeder wants to produce a pure breeding of strain of barker but knows the allele for silent trailing
b is present in his kennels, how would he determine which dog to breed?
10. In a family of five children, what is the probability of obtaining the following:
a. all boys
b. all girls
c. four boys and one girl
d. three boys and two girls
e. next child is a boy
