Imagine that two unlinked autosomal genes, each with two alleles (A/a and B/b), are present in a heterozygous individual (genotype AaBb). According to the principle of independent assortment, what proportion of the gametes produced by this individual will have the genotype ab?

• A. 1/2
• B. 1/16
• C. 1/8
• D. 1/4

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the genotype of the individual: AaBb, which means the individual is heterozygous for both genes A and B.
2. Recall that the genes are unlinked and assort independently, so the alleles for gene A and gene B segregate independently during gamete formation.
3. Determine the possible alleles for each gene in the gametes: for gene A, the gamete can carry either A or a, each with a probability of 1/2; for gene B, the gamete can carry either B or b, each with a probability of 1/2.
4. Calculate the probability of a gamete having the genotype 'ab' by multiplying the probabilities of getting 'a' from gene A and 'b' from gene B: \(\frac{1}{2} \times \frac{1}{2}\).
5. Express the final proportion of gametes with genotype 'ab' as the product calculated in the previous step.