Question

What did you include in your response? Check all that apply.

If there are more alleles present for darker skin tone, then the offspring will have darker skin pigment than the parents may have.

There can be varying expressions of pigment color from dark to light based on the alleles received, even in the same family.

The sum of the allele combinations determines the expression of the trait from one degree to the other.

A bell curve shows the quantitative variation.

Answer 1

All four apply.

- ✓ If more “dark” alleles are inherited, offspring tend to have darker pigment (additive/polygenic effect).
- ✓ There can be varying pigment expression (dark-to-light) even within the same family.
- ✓ The summed contribution of many alleles largely determines where an individual falls on the spectrum.
- ✓ The population distribution of such quantitative traits typically approximates a bell curve (normal distribution).

(Brief caveat: this is a simplified, additive view — dominance, epistasis, and environment can also affect outcomes.)