Question

In cats, orange coat color is determined by the \(b\) allele, and black coat color is determined by the \(B\) allele. The heterozygous condition results in a coat pattern known as tortoiseshell, These genes are X-linked. What kinds of offspring would be expected from a cross of a black male and a tortoiseshell female? What are the chances of getting a tortoiseshell male?

Short answer

Answer: The chances of getting a tortoiseshell male offspring from this cross are 0%.

Step-by-step solution

Identify the genotypes

The genotypes of the given cats are: - Black male: XY (with B allele on the X chromosome) - Tortoiseshell female: XX (with B allele on one X chromosome and b allele on the other X chromosome)

Construct a Punnett square

To find the expected offspring from the cross between the black male and the tortoiseshell female, create a Punnett square using the parents' genotypes: B b +-----------+-----------+ X | XB | Xb | +-----------+-----------+ Y | YB | Yb | +-----------+-----------+

Determine expected offspring

From the Punnett square, we can determine the possible genotypes and phenotypes of their offspring: - XB female (black): 50% probability - Xb female (tortoiseshell): 50% probability - YB male (black): 50% probability - Yb male (orange): 50% probability

Calculate the probability of a tortoiseshell male

From the possible offspring genotypes, there are no tortoiseshell males (XY with both B and b alleles). So, the chances of getting a tortoiseshell male are 0%.