Question

Four o'clock plants can have green leaves, white leaves, or variegated leaves (leaves with areas of white and areas of green). The white regions of the leaves lack functioning chloroplasts. The transmission of leaf color in four o'clock plants demonstrates organelle inheritance. In this problem, you will explore this inheritance pattern. Which of the following crosses between four o'clock plants could produce progeny plants with green leaves?

1. G variegated (female) x variegated (male)
2. G green (female) x white (male)
3. G white (female) x green (male)
4. G white (female) x variegated (male)
5. Gvariegated (female) x white (male)

Answer 1

2. G green (female) x white (male)

Step-by-step explanation:

The cross that could produce progeny plants with green leaves would be the cross between a green female and a white male.

Since the transmission of leaf color in the plant demonstrates organelle inheritance, the female controls which leaf color is inherited by the progeny. Organelles are generally located in the cytoplasm which is largely contributed by the female egg during fertilization. Hence, organelle inheritance are controlled by the female and that is why they are often referred to as maternal inheritance.

Therefore, a cross involving a green female and a white male would largely yield green progeny provided that the trait inheritance follows an organelle inheritance.