Final answer:
When crossing a white-eyed male with a heterozygous red-eyed female, the expected ratio of offspring is 1 red-eyed female to 1 white-eyed female to 1 red-eyed male to 1 white-eyed male, making the ratio 1:1:1:1.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks about the expected ratio of offspring in terms of eye color when crossing a white-eyed male with a female that is heterozygous for red eye color. This is a classic genetics problem, usually dealing with Mendelian inheritance and sex-linked traits such as the eye color in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). In fruit flies, the gene for eye color is located on the X chromosome and red is dominant over white.
For a cross between a white-eyed male (XyY) and a heterozygous red-eyed female (XWXw), the potential genotypes for the offspring can be determined by a Punnett square. Here's the breakdown of genotypes and phenotypes:
- XWXy - Red-eyed female
- XWY - Red-eyed male
- XwXy - White-eyed female
- XwY - White-eyed male
The expected ratio of offspring for eye color would be 1 red-eyed female : 1 white-eyed female : 1 red-eyed male : 1 white-eyed male, or a 1:1:1:1 ratio. This assumes that all traits are inherited in a simple Mendelian fashion and that there are no other factors influencing inheritance patterns.