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Everyone in Squidward’s family has light blue skin, which is the dominant trait for body color in his hometown of Squid Valley. His family brags that they are a “purebred” line. He recently married a nice girl who has light green skin, which is a recessive trait. Create a Punnett square to show the possibilities that would result if Squidward and his new bride had children. Use B to represent the dominant gene and b to represent the recessive gene.



A. List the possible genotypes and phenotypes for their children.


B. What are the chances of a child with light blue skin? _______%

C. What are the chances of a child with light green skin? _______%

D. Would Squidward’s children still be considered purebreds? Explain!

1 answer

Let's first establish the genotypes of Squidward and his wife based on the traits discussed.

  • Squidward (light blue skin, dominant trait): He is homozygous dominant and has the genotype BB.
  • His wife (light green skin, recessive trait): She is homozygous recessive and has the genotype bb.

Now, we will set up the Punnett square to show the potential offspring.

Punnett Square

\[ \begin{array}{c|c|c} & B & B \ \hline b & Bb & Bb \ \hline b & Bb & Bb \ \end{array} \]

A. List the possible genotypes and phenotypes for their children.

From the Punnett square, the potential genotypes for their children are:

  • Bb (light blue skin)

Since all combinations result in Bb, the only possible phenotypes are:

  • Light blue skin (Bb): 100% of the offspring.

B. What are the chances of a child with light blue skin?

100%

C. What are the chances of a child with light green skin?

0%

D. Would Squidward’s children still be considered purebreds? Explain!

No, Squidward's children would not be considered purebreds. Purebred organisms have identical alleles for a particular trait (homozygous), whereas Squidward's children would all have the genotype Bb, which is heterozygous. This means they carry one dominant allele and one recessive allele, hence they are not purebred for the trait of skin color.