If a trait is controlled by a single gene with two alleles, what is the maximum number of different genotypes possible in a population?
Practice Questions
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If a trait is controlled by a single gene with two alleles, what is the maximum number of different genotypes possible in a population?
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For a single gene with two alleles, the maximum number of different genotypes possible is 3: homozygous dominant, heterozygous, and homozygous recessive.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: If a trait is controlled by a single gene with two alleles, what is the maximum number of different genotypes possible in a population?
Solution: For a single gene with two alleles, the maximum number of different genotypes possible is 3: homozygous dominant, heterozygous, and homozygous recessive.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand that a gene can have different forms called alleles. In this case, there are two alleles.
Step 2: Label the two alleles. Let's call one allele 'A' (dominant) and the other 'a' (recessive).
Step 3: Determine the possible combinations of these alleles in an individual. There are three combinations: 'AA', 'Aa', and 'aa'.
Step 4: 'AA' is called homozygous dominant, 'Aa' is called heterozygous, and 'aa' is called homozygous recessive.
Step 5: Count the different combinations. There are a total of 3 different genotypes: homozygous dominant (AA), heterozygous (Aa), and homozygous recessive (aa).
