Asked by Lauren Devine on May 11, 2024
Verified
Color blindness is more common in males than in females because
A) females need to inherit only one copy of the recessive color blindness allele to express the trait.
B) males only need to inherit the recessive maternal color blindness allele to be color blind.
C) Color blindness is an autosomal trait.
D) all females are hemizygous for the color blindness trait.
E) males can only inherit paternal color blindness alleles.
Color Blindness
A genetic condition where a person's ability to perceive colors is altered or diminished due to abnormalities in certain photoreceptor cells in the eye.
Recessive
A genetic term describing an allele that is masked by the presence of a dominant allele in a heterozygous combination.
Hemizygous
Possessing only one allele for a particular locus; a human male is hemizygous for all X-linked genes. Compare with homozygous and heterozygous.
- Recognize why certain genetic traits, such as color blindness, show a sex-biased pattern of inheritance.
Verified Answer
SS
Surinder SekhonMay 13, 2024
Final Answer :
B
Explanation :
Color blindness is more common in males because it is a sex-linked trait, specifically linked to the X chromosome. Males have only one X chromosome (XY), so inheriting one copy of the recessive allele from their mother (on the X chromosome) is enough to express the trait. Females (XX) would need to inherit two copies of the allele, one from each parent, to express the trait.
Learning Objectives
- Recognize why certain genetic traits, such as color blindness, show a sex-biased pattern of inheritance.