Question

determine if the following statement is true or false. parents with the dominant phenotype cannot have offspring with the recessive phenotype.
multiple choice
true, because both parents have the dominant allele.
true, because at least one dominant gene will be passed down from each parent.
false, because one parent could be heterozygous.

Explanation:

If both parents are heterozygous (e.g., \(Aa\) for a particular trait), they can produce offspring with the recessive phenotype. Using a Punnett square for \(Aa\times Aa\):

• The possible genotypes of offspring are \(AA:Aa : aa=1:2:1\).
• The \(aa\) genotype shows the recessive phenotype. So parents with dominant phenotype (if they are heterozygous) can have offspring with recessive phenotype.

Answer:

False, because one parent could be heterozygous.