Final answer:
To achieve albino offspring in rabbits, a Punnett square cross of two heterozygous parents (Cc x Cc) would need to be conducted, which would result in a 1 in 4 chance of getting albino offspring (cc). The albino trait is recessive and requires both alleles to be 'c' to express albinism.
Step-by-step explanation:
To produce albino offspring in rabbits, a Punnett square representing a cross between two heterozygous organisms for a specific trait is used, with 'C' indicating the allele for color and 'c' indicating the allele for albinism. According to Mendelian genetics, albino rabbits can be produced if both parents carry the recessive 'c' allele. Since albinism is recessive, a rabbit must inherit two copies of the 'c' allele to express the albino phenotype.
Given that the C gene is epistatic to the A gene, any rabbit with the homozygous recessive genotype 'cc' will be albino, regardless of the allele present at the A locus. Therefore, to produce an albino rabbit, both parents must have at least one 'c' allele each. When crossed, parents with the genotype Cc, for instance, will have a 1 in 4 chance of producing an albino offspring (cc).
The genetic combinations possible can be visualized in a Punnett square, with C and c alleles arranged on the top and side. The genotypes of the progeny fill the inner squares, detailing the statistical probabilities of their occurrence. The following illustrates a Punnett square of a heterozygous cross, using rabbits' coat color alleles:
- Cc (Parent 1) x Cc (Parent 2)
- Possible genotypes of offspring: CC, Cc, cC, cc
- Albino offspring: cc