Question

1. spongebobs mother is so proud of her son and his new wife, spongesusie, as they are expecting a little sponge. she knows that they have a 50% chance of having a little roundpants, but is also hoping the new arrival will be blue (a recessive trait) like spongesusie and many members of her family. if spongebob is heterozygous for his yellow body color, what are the chances that the baby sponge will be blue? use the punnett square to help you answer this question.

Explanation:

Step1: Define allele notation

Let $Y$ = dominant yellow body allele, $y$ = recessive blue body allele.

Step2: Identify parental genotypes

SpongeBob (heterozygous): $Yy$; SpongeSusie (blue, recessive): $yy$

Step3: Set up Punnett square

	$Y$	$y$
$y$	$Yy$	$yy$

Step4: Calculate blue offspring chance

Count $yy$ genotypes: 2 out of 4 total.
$\text{Probability} = \frac{2}{4} = 50\%$

Answer:

The chance that the baby sponge will be blue is 50% (or $\frac{1}{2}$).