Question

In domesticated dogs, hair type is controlled by two different alleles. The allele for wire hair is (H) and the allele for smooth hair is (h).

When two heterozygous dogs are crossed, what percentage of the offspring is expected to be homozygous for smooth hair?

Answer 1

When crossing two heterozygous dogs with genotypes Hh, we can expect 25% of their offspring to be homozygous for the smooth hair allele (hh).

Step-by-step explanation:

When two heterozygous dogs are crossed, where wire hair is represented by the dominant allele H and smooth hair is represented by the recessive allele h, we can determine the expected percentage of the offspring that will be homozygous for smooth hair by performing a Punnett square or by using the principles of Mendelian genetics.

In this case, both parents have the genotype Hh. The possible combinations of alleles that the offspring can inherit are: HH, Hh, Hh, hh. The hh genotype represents homozygous for smooth hair which occurs in 1 out of the 4 possible combinations. Thus, the expected proportion of homozygous smooth-haired offspring is 1/4, or 25%.