A scientist is studying a plant species in which the flower color genes are codominant. The scientist crosses a plant with red flowers and a plant with white flowers. The offspring will most likely have

A. red flowers
B. white flowers
C. pink flowers
D. red flowers with white patches
Is the answer D?

yes, or white flowers with red patches.

To determine the most likely outcome of the plant offspring's flower color, we need to understand the concept of codominance. In codominance, both alleles (versions of a gene) are expressed simultaneously, resulting in a blending or combined phenotype.

In this case, when a plant with red flowers (genotype RR) is crossed with a plant with white flowers (genotype WW), the offspring will have two different alleles for flower color (RW). Since red and white are different colors, it's unlikely that the offspring will have either pure red or pure white flowers.

Based on the information given, the most likely outcome would be C. pink flowers. This is because mixing red and white results in a blending phenotype, which commonly manifests as pink in plant species with codominant flower color genes.