Horses have three basic coat colors: red (or chestnut), bay, and black. All the colors are controlled by the interaction of two genes, Extension (E) and Agouti (A). The following combinations produce bay color: EE/Aa, Ee/Aa, EE/AA, Ee/AA. Only two produce black color: EE/aa, Ea/aa. Other combinations of the alleles of these genes plus mutations of others result in many possible coat colors and patterns in horses.

Coat color in horses is an example of which type of inheritance?

(1 point)
Responses

polygenic inheritance
polygenic inheritance

Mendelian inheritance
Mendelian inheritance

recessive inheritance
recessive inheritance

dominant inheritance

1 answer

Coat color in horses is an example of Mendelian inheritance. This is because it follows the inheritance patterns defined by Mendel's laws, involving specific alleles being passed from parent to offspring in a predictable manner based on dominant and recessive traits. The interaction of the two genes (Extension and Agouti) with their respective dominant and recessive alleles further supports this classification as Mendelian inheritance rather than polygenic or other types.