Question

If 3/4 of the offspring from an experimental cross showed only the dominant characteristics, the parents of those particular offspring were: One heterozygous, one homozygous dominant Both heterozygous One homozygous dominant, one homozygous recessive Both homozygous dominant

Answer 1

The 3:1 ratio of offspring with dominant characteristics indicates that both parents were heterozygous for the trait, according to Mendelian inheritance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The ratio of

offspring

with dominant characteristics suggests that the parents were

both heterozygous

(not homozygous dominant or homozygous recessive). In genetics, the allele pairs of heterozygous parents are Aa x Aa. This gives us an expected offspring phenotype ratio of 3 dominant : 1 recessive (3:1 ratio), according to

Mendelian inheritance

. So, if 3/4 of the offspring are showing the dominant characteristics, it means that one of the parents was not homozygous for the characteristic. Therefore, both parents would be heterozygous for the trait.

Learn more about Mendelian inheritance