Question

Suppose you mate a black rooster with a white hen. The feathers of all the offspring are “gray,” a color that is intermediate between black and white. Explain the inheritance pattern in these chickens.

Answer 1

Incomplete dominance

Step-by-step explanation:

The inheritance pattern described here is called incomplete dominance (sometimes also referred to as semi-dominance or partial dominance). This occurs when the dominant allele doesn't fully prevent the effects of the recessive allele from being expressed. This results in the trait of the offspring being equivalent to the mix of both alleles. If the rooster's feathers are black and the hen's are white, the chicks' will be grey.