91.9k views
4 votes
If eye color were due to genetic influences (not environment or learning), then the Heritability for eye color would be

a. 0%
b. 50%
c. 80%
d. 100%

User Alex Biro
by
8.5k points

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

Eye color's heritability would be 100% because it is determined by genetic factors. For a green-eyed child with brown-eyed parents, those parents must both carry the recessive allele for green eyes. In traits like color blindness, a son of a carrier mother and a normal vision father has a 50% chance of being colorblind.

Step-by-step explanation:

If eye color were influenced solely by genetic factors, the heritability of eye color would be 100%. This is because heritability refers to the proportion of variation in a trait, within a population, that is due to genetic differences as opposed to environmental factors. Since eye color is determined by multiple genes and not significantly influenced by the environment, we can expect the heritability to be very high. Given the options presented, the correct answer would be d. 100%.

Regarding the possibility of a green-eyed child with two brown-eyed parents, the correct explanation is that b. Both parents are heterozygous, carrying the allele for green eyes, which is a recessive trait. When both parents contribute this recessive allele, the child can express the green eye color, which is an instance of Mendelian inheritance.

When considering the Punnett square and the inheritance of traits like color blindness or eye color, the distribution of alleles from the parents to the offspring will dictate the probability of the traits being expressed. In cases of color blindness, a son of a female carrier and a male with normal vision has a 50% chance of being colorblind if the mother passes on the allele for color blindness.

User Anton Kandybo
by
8.0k points