In rabbits, white fur (W) is dominant to black (w), and long ears (E) are dominant to short ears (e). A breeder mates two rabbits that are heterozygous (WwEe) for both traits.
What is the chance that the offspring will be black with short ears?
(You may use the easy quick method to solve. Hint= set up 2 monohybrid crosses and multiply the results)
a
1/16
b
3/16
c
6/12
d
9/16
To determine the chance of the offspring being black (w) with short ears (e), we need to set up two monohybrid crosses:
First, for fur color:
Ww x Ww
(w:white fur, W:black fur)
We know that white fur (W) is dominant, so the only way to get black fur (w) is if both parents pass down the recessive allele (w).
The Punnett square for this cross would be:
W w
W WW Ww
w Ww ww
Out of the four possible combinations (WW, Ww, Ww, ww), only one combination will result in the offspring having black fur, which is ww.
Now, for ear length:
Ee x Ee
(e:short ears, E:long ears)
We know that long ears (E) are dominant, so the only way to get short ears (e) is if both parents pass down the recessive allele (e).
The Punnett square for this cross would be:
E e
E EE Ee
e Ee ee
Out of the four possible combinations (EE, Ee, Ee, ee), only one combination will result in the offspring having short ears, which is ee.
Since these two traits are inherited independently, we can now multiply the probabilities:
Probability of black fur (ww) with probability of short ears (ee) = (1/4) x (1/4) = 1/16.
Therefore, the chance that the offspring will be black with short ears is 1/16.
The correct answer is option a) 1/16.