Question

A lumber company in east texas is interested in the quantitative traits responsible for faster growth in trees. First they need to identify how many genes are involved in tree growth. The researchers of the company start by crossing trees that grow 6 inches per year (ipy) with trees that grow 24 ipy. From this cross, trees that grow 15 ipy were obtained. How many genes are involved in tree growth?

Answer 1

The number of genes involved in tree growth is more than two.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this case, we are dealing with a quantitative trait - tree growth. The researchers crossed trees that grow 6 inches per year (ipy) with trees that grow 24 ipy, and obtained trees that grow 15 ipy. By observing the resulting growth rate, we can estimate the number of genes involved in tree growth.

Based on Mendel's laws, a two-gene interaction would result in a phenotypic ratio of 16. However, in this case, we observe a ratio of 6:4, which is not consistent with the phenotypic ratio expected for a two-gene interaction. Therefore, more than two genes are likely involved in tree growth.

So, the number of genes involved in tree growth is more than two.