In rabbits, there are four different versions of the gene for coat color. What pattern of inheritance is this?
Multiple Alleles
In rabbits, there are four different versions of gene for coat color. What pattern of inheritance is this?
multiple alleles
multiple alleles
The pattern of inheritance you are referring to is known as Multiple Alleles. Multiple alleles occur when there are more than two alternative forms of a gene that can exist within a population. In the case of rabbits, there are four different versions or alleles of the gene for coat color.
To understand multiple alleles, it is important to remember that each individual organism inherits two copies (alleles) of each gene, one from each parent. However, in a multiple allele system, an individual organism can possess only two different alleles out of all the possibilities.
In the case of rabbits, the four different versions of the gene for coat color represent the multiple alleles. These alleles might correspond to different coat colors such as black, brown, white, and gray. Each rabbit will only inherit two out of these four possible alleles.
The specific combination of alleles a rabbit inherits determines its actual coat color. For example, a rabbit might inherit the black and brown alleles, resulting in a coat color that shows a mixture of black and brown patches.
It is important to note that multiple alleles can interact with other genes and environmental factors to further influence coat color and its variations within a population.