The best explanation is that the second brown individual is heterozygous (Bb) for the coat color gene.
Finding The Best Explanation Of The Results Of The Second Cross.
The result suggests that the second brown individual is heterozygous for the coat color gene.
This can be explained using the principle of Mendelian inheritance, where there are dominant and recessive alleles.
Represent the alleles for coat color as follows:
B: Brown (dominant allele)
b: Yellow (recessive allele)
The initial cross between a brown dog and a yellow dog (assuming the brown dog is heterozygous Bb) would result in 50% brown (Bb) and 50% yellow (bb) offspring.
The initial brown dog in the cross was likely homozygous dominant (BB), and the yellow dog carried a recessive allele (bb).
In the first cross:
- Brown dog (BB) x Yellow dog (bb) → Produces all brown offspring (Bb)
In the second cross:
- Second brown individual (Bb) x Yellow dog (bb) → Results in a 1:1 ratio of brown (Bb) to yellow (bb) offspring.
This pattern is consistent with Mendelian inheritance, where the presence of a dominant allele (B) leads to a brown coat color, and the recessive allele (b) results in a yellow coat color.
Now, when the second brown individual is obtained, it could be BB (homozygous dominant) or Bb (heterozygous). If it were BB, all the offspring in the second cross would be brown.
Since there are both brown and yellow offspring, it suggests that the second brown individual is Bb.