Final answer:
The correct statements concerning the inheritance of color blindness are (a) it is an X-linked recessive trait, (b) men are more likely to be color blind, and (c) carriers can pass the trait to their offspring without being affected. The types of color blindness are not inherited differently; most are X-linked recessive.
Step-by-step explanation:
When discussing the inheritance of color blindness, it is essential to understand how this genetic condition is transmitted from parents to offspring. Here are the correct statements concerning its inheritance:
- (a) Color blindness is a recessive trait that is inherited on the X chromosome.
- (b) Men are more likely to be color blind than women.
- (c) Carriers of the color blindness gene can pass the trait on to their children without being color blind themselves.
Statement (d) is incorrect because the different types of color blindness are not inherited differently in terms of sex linkage; most color blindness (specifically red-green) is inherited as an X-linked recessive trait. Although there are different types based on the specific colors that cannot be distinguished, the inheritance pattern for red-green color blindness is consistently X-linked recessive.
Overall, since color blindness is a recessive trait carried on the X chromosome, the implications are significant for males and females. Males, having only one X chromosome, will express color blindness if that single X chromosome carries the mutation. Females, with two X chromosomes, must inherit two copies of the recessive allele to express the trait, making it less common in females unless both X chromosomes carry the mutation. Females with one affected X chromosome are carriers and can pass on the trait without expressing color blindness themselves.