Question

use the following information: purple color (p) is dominant over white color (p), and tall plants (t) are dominant over short plants (t). in a cross between two parents that are both heterozygous for both traits, 1/16 of the offspring should have the recessive phenotype for both traits. true false

Explanation:

Step1: Determine the cross - genotype

The parents are heterozygous for both traits, so their genotype is PpTt. When two PpTt individuals are crossed, we use the Punnett - square or the product rule of probability.

Step2: Calculate the probability for each trait separately

For a single - gene cross of Pp x Pp, the probability of getting pp (recessive for color) is $\frac{1}{4}$ (using the Punnett - square: $PP:Pp:pp = 1:2:1$). For a single - gene cross of Tt x Tt, the probability of getting tt (recessive for height) is $\frac{1}{4}$ (since $TT:Tt:tt=1:2:1$).

Step3: Use the product rule

Since the inheritance of the two traits is independent (Mendel's law of independent assortment), the probability of getting an offspring with the recessive phenotype for both traits (pptt) is the product of the probabilities of getting the recessive phenotype for each trait. So $P(pptt)=\frac{1}{4}\times\frac{1}{4}=\frac{1}{16}$.

Answer:

TRUE