Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first video
Multiple Choice
Which of the following best explains the phenomenon where a red flower and a white flower produce pink offspring?
A
Complete dominance
B
Codominance
C
Incomplete dominance
D
Epistasis
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the concept of incomplete dominance: Incomplete dominance occurs when the phenotype of the heterozygote is intermediate between the phenotypes of the homozygotes. This means that neither allele is completely dominant over the other, resulting in a blend of traits.
Consider the example of flower color: In the case of a red flower and a white flower producing pink offspring, neither the red nor the white allele is completely dominant. Instead, the alleles blend to produce a new phenotype, which is pink.
Compare incomplete dominance with complete dominance: In complete dominance, one allele completely masks the effect of the other allele in the heterozygote. This would result in offspring that display only the dominant trait, not a blend.
Differentiate incomplete dominance from codominance: Codominance occurs when both alleles in a heterozygote are fully expressed, resulting in offspring that display both traits simultaneously, rather than a blend.
Recognize that epistasis is a different concept: Epistasis involves interactions between different genes, where one gene can mask or modify the expression of another gene. This is not the mechanism at play in the blending of flower colors.