Heredity and the Environment Unit Test

Question

Is it possible for two tall pea plants to produce a short pea plant variety? Explain. (1 point)
• Yes, the offspring of two true breeding tall plants are always short.
• No, one parent must be a short plant for any of the offspring to be short.
• No, two true breeding tall plants will only produce tall offspring.
• Yes, it is possible for plants to produce offspring with traits different from their own.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

• No, two true breeding tall plants will only produce tall offspring.

In Mendelian genetics, if both parent plants are true breeding tall (meaning they have the genotype for tallness and no alleles for shortness), they will only produce offspring that are also tall. In order to produce a short offspring, at least one parent plant must carry the recessive short trait.