Question

A group of white-tailed deer live in a forested area around a neighborhood. One of the deer is an albino female that recently gave birth to twin fawns.
The neighbors want to know why the albino deer did not produce albino offspring. Which three questions should the neighbors ask a geneticist to determine how deer color is inherited?

A.
Is the gene for the albino trait recessive or dominant?

B.
Does the genotype of the father affect the coat color of the fawns?

C.
Can deer have the albino gene without expressing the phenotype?

D.
Can parasitic ticks change the expression of the gene for coat color?

E.
Do the pesticides on the grass cause the deer to change coat colors?

Answer 1

A, B, and C.

Reason: To explain offspring color you need to know whether albino is dominant or recessive (A), whether the sire's genotype contributes to the fawns' coat color (B), and whether individuals can carry the albino allele without showing it (C). D and E are irrelevant to genetic inheritance.