Question

IN YOUR OWN WORDS - If a plant is heterozygous for a trait (Bb), what is the probability

that a gamete of this plant will be dominant (B)? Recessive(b)?* m.

Answer 1

Probability that the gamete will be dominant - 1/2 or 50%

Probability that the gamete will be recessive - 1/2 or 50%

Step-by-step explanation:

A plant that is heterozygous for a trait will contain a combination of two different alleles i.e the dominant and recessive alleles. Hence, a heterozygous plant will have a genotype: Bb. 'B' is the dominant allele while 'b' is the recessive allele.

Mendel discovered in his experiments, that an organism receives two forms of a gene from each parent. The forms are called ALLELES.

Mendel further proposed in his LAW OF SEGREGATION, that the alleles of a gene will separate into gametes during meiosis or gamete formation. Each gamete will contain only one of the two alleles.

Therefore, based on Mendel's principle of Segregation, an heterozygous plant with genotype: Bb will separate into gametes containing B and b alleles.

Hence, 1/2 of the dominant allele (B) will be present in the gamete while 1/2 of the recessive allele (b) will be present in the gamete.