In seals, the allele for long whiskers (L) is dominant over the allele that codes for short whiskers (l).
If you cross a female seal that is homozygous dominant (LL) with a male seal that is heterozygous (Ll), what is the probability of producing an offspring that will have short whiskers?
To determine the probability of producing an offspring with short whiskers, we need to look at the genotypes of the parents and apply the principles of Mendelian inheritance.
The female seal is homozygous dominant (LL), meaning she has two copies of the dominant allele for long whiskers. The male seal is heterozygous (Ll), meaning he has one dominant allele for long whiskers and one recessive allele for short whiskers.
When these two seals are crossed, the possible genotypes of the offspring are:
1. LL (homozygous dominant) - long whiskers
2. Ll (heterozygous) - long whiskers
3. Ll (heterozygous) - long whiskers
4. ll (homozygous recessive) - short whiskers
Out of these four possible genotypes, only one (ll) will result in an offspring with short whiskers. Therefore, the probability of producing an offspring that will have short whiskers is 1 out of 4, or 1/4, which can also be expressed as 25%.