Monohybrid Cross Problem Set

Problem 10: Disappearance of parental phenotypes in the F1 generation

A genetic cross of inbred snapdragons with red flowers with inbred snapdragons with white flowers resulted in F1-hybrid offspring that all had pink flowers. When the F1 plants were self-pollinated, the resulting F2-generation plants had a phenotypic ratio of 1 red: 2 pink: 1 white. The most likely explanation is:

Tutorial

Incomplete dominance

The F1-hybrid plants have a different phenotype (pink flowers) than either of the true-breeding parents. This is an example of incomplete dominance. When the F1-hybrid plants are self-fertilized, both parental phenotypes (red flowered plants and white flowered plants) reappear in the F2 generation.

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University of Arizona
Thursday, October 1, 1998
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