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Ch. 4 - Modification of Mendelian Ratios
Klug - Essentials of Genetics 10th Edition
Klug10th EditionEssentials of GeneticsISBN: 9780135588789Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 4, Problem 25a

Pigment in mouse fur is only produced when the C allele is present. Individuals of the cc genotype are white. If color is present, it may be determined by the A, a alleles. AA or Aa results in agouti color, while aa results in black coats. What F₁ and F₂ genotypic and phenotypic ratios are obtained from a cross between AACC and aacc mice?

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1
Identify the genotypes of the parent mice: one parent is AACC (homozygous dominant for both loci) and the other is aacc (homozygous recessive for both loci).
Determine the F₁ generation genotypes by performing a Punnett square for each gene separately. Since both parents are homozygous, all F₁ offspring will be heterozygous at both loci, resulting in genotype AaCc.
Analyze the phenotype of the F₁ generation: because the C allele is present (Cc), pigment is produced, and the presence of at least one A allele (Aa) results in agouti color.
For the F₂ generation, perform a dihybrid cross between two F₁ individuals (AaCc × AaCc). Set up a 4x4 Punnett square to determine all possible genotype combinations for the two loci.
From the F₂ genotypes, calculate the phenotypic ratios by applying the dominance rules: only individuals with at least one C allele produce pigment, and among those, AA or Aa genotypes produce agouti color, while aa produces black. Individuals with cc genotype are white regardless of A locus.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Mendelian Inheritance and Allele Segregation

Mendelian inheritance describes how alleles segregate and assort independently during gamete formation. Each parent contributes one allele per gene to the offspring, resulting in predictable genotypic ratios. Understanding this principle is essential to determine the genotypes of F₁ and F₂ generations from parental crosses.
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New Alleles and Migration

Epistasis and Gene Interaction

Epistasis occurs when one gene masks or modifies the expression of another gene. In this case, the C allele controls pigment production, and the A locus determines pigment type only if pigment is produced. Recognizing epistatic relationships helps explain phenotypic ratios beyond simple dominant-recessive patterns.
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Genotypic and Phenotypic Ratios in Dihybrid Crosses

A dihybrid cross involves two genes, each with two alleles, producing combinations in offspring. Calculating genotypic ratios involves listing all allele combinations, while phenotypic ratios consider gene interactions like dominance and epistasis. This concept is crucial for predicting outcomes in the F₁ and F₂ generations.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Horses can be cremello (a light cream color), chestnut (a brownish color), or palomino (a golden color with white in the horse's tail and mane). Of these phenotypes, only palominos never breed true.

From the results given above, determine the mode of inheritance by assigning gene symbols and indicating which genotypes yield which phenotypes.

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Textbook Question

Horses can be cremello (a light cream color), chestnut (a brownish color), or palomino (a golden color with white in the horse's tail and mane). Of these phenotypes, only palominos never breed true.

Predict the F1 and F2 results of many initial matings between cremello and chestnut horses.

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Textbook Question

Pigment in mouse fur is only produced when the C allele is present. Individuals of the cc genotype are white. If color is present, it may be determined by the A, a alleles. AA or Aa results in agouti color, while aa results in black coats. In three crosses between agouti females whose genotypes were unknown and males of the aacc genotype, the following phenotypic ratios were obtained:

(1) 8 agouti

(2) 9 agouti

(3) 4 agouti, 8 white 10 black, 5 black, 10 white

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Textbook Question

Five human matings (1–5), identified by both maternal and paternal phenotypes for ABO and MN blood-group antigen status, are shown on the left side of the following table:

Each mating resulted in one of the five offspring shown in the right-hand column (a–e). Match each offspring with one correct set of parents, using each parental set only once. Is there more than one set of correct answers?

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Textbook Question

Two mothers give birth to sons at the same time at a busy urban hospital. The son of mother 1 is afflicted with hemophilia, a disease caused by an X-linked recessive allele. Neither parent has the disease. Mother 2 has a normal son, despite the fact that the father has hemophilia. Several years later, couple 1 sues the hospital, claiming that these two newborns were swapped in the nursery following their birth. As a genetic counselor, you are called to testify. What information can you provide the jury concerning the allegation?

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