Final answer:
When crossing individuals that are heterozygous for both height and color traits in plants, with tall and yellow being dominant, the expected offspring phenotypic ratio would be 9 tall, yellow: 3 tall, green: 3 short, yellow: 1 short, green, following a 9:3:3:1 dihybrid ratio.
Step-by-step explanation:
When considering the cross of individuals that are heterozygous for both height and color, where tall is dominant to short and yellow is dominant to green, the expected ratio of offspring can be predicted using a Punnett square and the principles of independent assortment and dominance.
Each trait is inherited independently, therefore we apply the product rule to determine the proportions of the phenotypes. When we consider height (tall vs. short) and color (yellow vs. green), we expect that:
- 3/4 of the offspring will be tall (because tall is dominant)
- 1/4 of the offspring will be short
- 3/4 of the offspring will be yellow (because yellow is dominant)
- 1/4 of the offspring will be green
By applying the product rule to combine these ratios, we predict that the offspring phenotype ratios from the cross will be:
- 9 tall, yellow: (3/4) × (3/4) = 9/16
- 3 tall, green: (3/4) × (1/4) = 3/16
- 3 short, yellow: (1/4) × (3/4) = 3/16
- 1 short, green: (1/4) × (1/4) = 1/16
This results in the classic 9:3:3:1 dihybrid phenotypic ratio.