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During a Summer Study Abroad Program, You Traveled to Austria

question 31

Multiple Choice

During a summer study abroad program, you traveled to Austria to study genetics at the University of Vienna. While you were there, a momentous discovery was made: Some of Gregor Mendel's original lab books and notes were found to be buried outside of the abbey where he lived. It just so happened that the professor you were working with obtained copies of these notes and enlisted your help to decipher them.
You hired a translator to translate Mendel's notes from Czech to English, and using your knowledge of modern genetics (which Mendel did not have!) you were able to construct a partial Punnett square (shown here) . Because the notebook was damaged from being buried for so long, this is the only information that you have regarding a cross that Mendel must have performed. Your professor has tasked you with figuring out more about this experiment.

-In pea plants, round peas are dominant (R) and shriveled peas are recessive (r) , and yellow peas (shown as light gray in the Punnett square) are dominant (Y) and green peas (dark gray) are recessive (y) . Using this information and the partial Punnett square shown, what genotype should be listed in the square labeled A?

Definitions:

Genetic Defect

An abnormality in the genome that can lead to diseases or conditions, often inherited and sometimes causing deviations from the typical phenotype.

Novel Functions

Innovative or new roles that objects or ideas can fulfill beyond their original purposes.

Species Diversity

A measurement of the variety of species within a biological community, reflecting both the number of different species and their relative abundance.

Natural Selection

A process in evolutionary biology where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.