A common trait found in orange tabby cats is the following: being awesome (A) is dominant to being average (a).
A male cat that is homozygous dominant for the A trait is mated with a female cat that is homozygous recessive.
For a cross with four offspring, what is the probability that they will have an offspring who is heterozygous?
To determine the probability of the offspring being heterozygous, we need to consider the possible genotypes of each parent and their potential combinations.
Let's represent the dominant trait "being awesome" as A and the recessive trait "being average" as a.
The male cat is homozygous dominant (AA), meaning it only carries the dominant trait.
The female cat is homozygous recessive (aa), meaning it only carries the recessive trait.
When these two cats are mated, their possible combinations of alleles are:
Male cat: AA
Female cat: aa
The possible genotypes of the offspring can be determined by pairing the alleles from each parent:
Offspring 1: Aa
Offspring 2: Aa
Offspring 3: Aa
Offspring 4: Aa
All four offspring will have the genotype Aa, which is heterozygous.
Therefore, the probability that they will have an offspring who is heterozygous is 1 (or 100%).