87.9k views
2 votes
a man who is heterozygous for type a blood marries a woman who is heterozygous for type b. can they have a child with type o? what are the chances? show your work.

1 Answer

1 vote

Final answer:

Yes, a man with type A blood and a woman with type B blood, both heterozygous, can have a child with type O blood with a probability of 25%. The ABO blood group system exemplifies multiple alleles and codominance.

Step-by-step explanation:

Can a Child of Type A and Type B Parents Have Type O Blood?

If a man who is heterozygous for type A blood (genotype IAi) marries a woman who is also heterozygous for type B blood (genotype IBi), they can indeed have a child with type O blood (genotype ii). To calculate the probability, we use a Punnett square.

Considering each parent's genotype, the possible combinations for their children are:

IAIB (type AB)

IAi (type A)

IBi (type B)

ii (type O)

As each combination has an equal chance of occurring, there is a 25% chance that the child will have type O blood.

Regarding the blood donation question, the woman can donate blood to her husband if he has type A blood because type B is compatible with type A as a recipient. However, her AB or B antigens would not be compatible with type O recipients. ABO blood groups exemplify multiple alleles and codominance.

User Jhunovis
by
8.3k points