Final answer:
The probability of offspring from a white-eyed male and a heterozygous red-eyed female will show a 1:1 phenotypic ratio, with a 50% chance for red eyes and a 50% chance for white eyes. A Punnett square helps illustrate this genetic cross.
Step-by-step explanation:
The probability of offspring inheriting a particular phenotype in genetics can be determined using a Punnett square. For example, a cross between a white-eyed male (with genotype involving a recessive allele) and a female heterozygous for red eye color (carrying one dominant and one recessive allele for eye color) can illustrate this. If red eye color is a trait determined by a dominant allele (R) and white eye color by a recessive allele (r), then the male's genotype would be rr for white eyes, and the female's genotype would be Rr for heterozygous red eyes.
When these two individuals are crossed, the possible genotypes of the offspring are as follows:
- Rr (red-eyed)
- rr (white-eyed)
The phenotypic ratio for the offspring would be 1:1, meaning there's a 50% chance of red eyes and a 50% chance of white eyes. It's important to note that in sex-linked traits, such as eye color in fruit flies, the pattern of inheritance may be different between males and females due to the difference in the sex chromosomes.