Question

is it possible for two tall pea plants to produce a short pea plant variety? explain. (1 point)

no, one parent must be a short plant for any of the offspring to be short.
yes, the offspring of two true breeding tall plants are always short.
no, two true breeding tall plants will only produce tall offspring.
yes, it is possible for plants to produce offspring with traits different from their own.

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, we analyze the genetics of pea plant height. Tallness (T) is dominant over shortness (t) in pea plants. If the two tall plants are heterozygous (Tt), their offspring can inherit the recessive allele (t) from both parents, resulting in a short plant (tt). This shows that offspring can have traits different from their parents.

• The first option is incorrect because even if both parents are tall (heterozygous), they can pass on the recessive allele.
• The second option is incorrect as true - breeding tall plants (TT) will only produce tall offspring (TT).
• The third option is incorrect because it only considers true - breeding tall plants, but there are cases where tall plants are heterozygous.
• The fourth option is correct as explained by the concept of dominant and recessive alleles in genetics, where heterozygous tall parents can produce short offspring.

Answer:

Yes, it is possible for plants to produce offspring with traits different from their own.