Question

What possible gametes can be produced by \(A a B b\). a. \(A a, B b\) b. \(A, a, B, b\) c. \(A B, a b\) d. \(A B, A b, a B, a b\)

Short answer

d. \(A B, A b, a B, a b\)

Step-by-step solution

Understand AaBb genotype and independent assortment

The genotype AaBb represents an organism with two differing alleles (A and a) for one gene and two differing alleles (B and b) for another gene. When gametes are formed, a process called meiosis ensures that the alleles segregate independently, ensuring that each gamete will have one allele per gene. This is called the principle of independent assortment.

Determine the number of possible gametes

To determine the number of possible gametes, note that there are 2 alleles for the first gene (A and a) and 2 alleles for the second gene (B and b). The product rule states that the total number of possible gametes is equal to the product of the different types of alleles for each gene. In this case: \(2 \cdot 2 = 4\) different gametes.

List all possible gametes

To list all possible gametes, we can create a Punnett square, which will help us combine different alleles for each gene: 1. Write down the alleles for the first gene (A and a) along the top row of a 2x2 square. 2. Write down the alleles for the second gene (B and b) along the left column of the square. 3. Fill in the remaining cells of the square by combining one allele from the top row (A or a) with one allele from the left column (B or b). The Punnett square will look like this: ``` | A | a | ----------- B |AB | aB | ----------- b |Ab | ab | ```

Identify the correct answer option

The possible gametes produced by AaBb are AB, aB, Ab, and ab. Comparing these gametes with the given answer options, we conclude that the correct answer is: d. \(A B, A b, a B, a b\)