In a breed of dog, the gene for black fur is dominant and the gene for brown fur is recessive. Two dogs with black fur are bred. One of the offspring has brown fur. What is the most likely explanation for the brown fur? (1 point)
The dog received one gene for brown fur and one gene for black fur.
The dog received a mutated gene.
The dog only received one gene for fur color.
The dog received two recessive genes for brown fur.
The most likely explanation for the brown fur in this case is that the dog received two recessive genes for brown fur.
To understand why, let's first look at the genetics of fur color in this breed of dog. The gene for black fur is dominant, meaning that if a dog inherits even just one gene for black fur, it will have black fur. On the other hand, the gene for brown fur is recessive, which means that a dog must inherit two copies of the gene for brown fur in order to have brown fur.
Now, in the given scenario, both parent dogs have black fur. This means that they each have at least one gene for black fur. When these two dogs are bred together, they can pass on one of their genes for fur color to their offspring. Since black fur is dominant, it is more likely for the offspring to receive a gene for black fur from at least one of the parents.
However, if one of the offspring has brown fur, it means that it must have received two copies of the gene for brown fur. This occurs when both parent dogs pass on a gene for brown fur to their offspring. Since the gene for brown fur is recessive, it requires two copies of the gene to be expressed (one from each parent) and result in the brown fur phenotype.
Therefore, the most likely explanation for the brown fur in this case is that the dog received two recessive genes for brown fur.