Question
Scientists have discovered a genetic condition in a certain fish species that causes gills not to form during development. This results in death. Which scenario has to occur in order for this condition to be passed from parent to offspring?
There must be dramatic changes to the environment.
The parents must have heterozygous genotypes.
The offspring must interbreed with each other.
There must be random mutations occurring in the species.
There must be dramatic changes to the environment.
The parents must have heterozygous genotypes.
The offspring must interbreed with each other.
There must be random mutations occurring in the species.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
For the genetic condition that causes gills not to form during development to be passed from parent to offspring, the scenario that must occur is:
**The parents must have heterozygous genotypes.**
If the genetic condition is inherited in a typical Mendelian manner (for example, if it is a recessive condition), then for the trait to be passed on to the offspring, the parents would need to carry the allele for the condition. This is often true if one or both parents are heterozygous carriers (having one normal allele and one allele for the condition). If both parents are homozygous recessive, the offspring will express the condition.
The other scenarios listed do not directly relate to the inheritance of a genetic condition. Dramatic environmental changes might affect survival, but they don’t affect the inherited genotype. Offspring interbreeding does not need to occur for the condition to be passed along if direct parent-offspring inheritance is sufficient. Random mutations may provide genetic diversity but are not necessary for the transmission of an existing inherited condition.
**The parents must have heterozygous genotypes.**
If the genetic condition is inherited in a typical Mendelian manner (for example, if it is a recessive condition), then for the trait to be passed on to the offspring, the parents would need to carry the allele for the condition. This is often true if one or both parents are heterozygous carriers (having one normal allele and one allele for the condition). If both parents are homozygous recessive, the offspring will express the condition.
The other scenarios listed do not directly relate to the inheritance of a genetic condition. Dramatic environmental changes might affect survival, but they don’t affect the inherited genotype. Offspring interbreeding does not need to occur for the condition to be passed along if direct parent-offspring inheritance is sufficient. Random mutations may provide genetic diversity but are not necessary for the transmission of an existing inherited condition.