Question

there are two different alleles for flower color, p and p. the image shows a white sweet pea with a genotype of pp. what can you surmise from the labeled image? the genotype is heterozygous. white petal color is a recessive trait. white petal color is a dominant trait. the phenotype is heterozygous

Explanation:

• Heterozygous vs. Homozygous: A heterozygous genotype has two different alleles (e.g., \(Pp\)), while a homozygous genotype has two of the same alleles (e.g., \(PP\) or \(pp\)). The given genotype is \(pp\), so it is homozygous, not heterozygous.
• Dominant vs. Recessive Traits: In genetics, a recessive trait is expressed when an organism has two recessive alleles. Since the white - flowered sweet pea has a genotype of \(pp\) (two recessive alleles) and shows the white - flower phenotype, white petal color must be a recessive trait. If it were a dominant trait, the plant could have genotypes \(PP\) or \(Pp\) to show the dominant phenotype.

Answer:

White petal color is a recessive trait.