Question

Punnett squares show the difference between brown and blue eyes being passed to offspring. Which of the following is true about blue eyes?

1) If one parent has blue eyes, all offspring will have blue eyes.
2) They can be inherited from any parent allele combination.
3) A parent or offspring can be heterozygous for blue eyes.
4) They can only be inherited if both parents have at least one blue eye allele.

Answer 1

Blue eyes are a recessive trait, and through a Punnett square, we can see that the only accurate statement provided is that blue eyes can only be inherited if both parents have at least one blue eye allele.

Step-by-step explanation:

Punnett squares can be used to predict the likelihood of offspring inheriting certain traits, including eye color. For example, if one parent has blue eyes and the other has brown eyes, the Punnett square can help determine the probability of their children having blue or brown eyes. The allele for blue eyes is recessive, meaning that an individual would need two copies of the blue eye allele to express blue eyes. If both parents carry the recessive allele for blue eyes, there is a chance of having a child with blue eyes, but it is not guaranteed. Therefore, the true statement about blue eyes is that they can only be inherited if both parents have at least one blue eye allele.