Question

Even in cases of simple Mendelian inheritance within a population, the ratio of phenotypes of a specific character is rarely the same as the ratio of alleles for that character. Explain why these ratios differ.

Answer 1

Even though the ratio of alleles for a specific character in a population is usually the same, the ratio of phenotypes of that character can differ due to the presence of multiple alleles of the same gene, dominance and recessiveness, and epistasis. In the case of multiple alleles, different alleles of the same gene can result in different phenotypes, so the ratio of phenotypes may not be the same as the ratio of alleles. Additionally, dominance and recessiveness can cause different alleles to result in the same phenotype, meaning the ratio of phenotypes may be different from the ratio of alleles. Finally, epistasis occurs when one gene affects the expression of another, which can also cause the ratio of phenotypes to differ from the ratio of alleles.

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