In a cross involving a heterozygous red flowered plant (Rr) and a white flowered plant (rr). what is the
probability that the offspring will be Rr?
Answer Details
In this cross, the dominant trait is the red flower color (R), while the recessive trait is the white flower color (r). The heterozygous plant (Rr) has one dominant allele and one recessive allele, while the white-flowered plant (rr) has two recessive alleles.
When these two plants are crossed, the possible gametes that the heterozygous plant (Rr) can produce are R and r, while the white-flowered plant (rr) can only produce r. Therefore, the possible offspring genotypes are: Rr (red-flowered) and rr (white-flowered).
The probability of an offspring inheriting the R allele from the heterozygous plant (Rr) is 1/2, as there is an equal chance of the gamete carrying the R or r allele. The probability of an offspring inheriting the r allele from the white-flowered plant (rr) is 1, as the gamete can only carry the r allele.
To determine the probability of an offspring being Rr, we need to multiply the probability of inheriting R from the heterozygous plant (1/2) by the probability of inheriting r from the white-flowered plant (1). Therefore, the probability of an offspring being Rr is 1/2 x 1 = 1/2.
So the correct answer is 1/2.