Chapter 14, Problem 16TYU

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY You are handed a mystery pea plant with tall stems and axial flowers and asked to determine its genotype as quickly as possible. You know that the allele for tall stems (T) Is dominant to that for dwarf stems (t) and that the allele for axial flowers (A) is dominant to that for terminal flowers (a).

(a) Identify all the possible genotypes for your mystery plant.

(b) Describe the one cross you would do, out in your garden, to determine the exact genotype of your mystery plant.

(c) While waiting for the results of your cross, you predict the results for each possible genotype listed in part a. Explain how you do this and why this is not called "performing a cross."

(d) Explain how the results of your cross and your predictions will help you learn the genotype of your mystery plant.