In a cross between a homozygous dominant and a homozygous recessive parent, the offspring will display which trait?

In a cross between a homozygous dominant and a homozygous recessive parent, the offspring will display which trait?

• A. The dominant trait
• B. The recessive trait
• C. Both traits
• D. An intermediate trait

Answer: (A)

When a plant (or organism) with two copies of a dominant allele mates with one that has two copies of a recessive allele, every offspring gets one dominant and one recessive allele. The dominant allele determines the phenotype, so all offspring express the dominant trait. The recessive trait would appear only if an individual inherited two recessive alleles. An intermediate trait would require incomplete dominance, which isn’t the situation here, and showing both traits would require codominance.

When a plant (or organism) with two copies of a dominant allele mates with one that has two copies of a recessive allele, every offspring gets one dominant and one recessive allele. The dominant allele determines the phenotype, so all offspring express the dominant trait. The recessive trait would appear only if an individual inherited two recessive alleles. An intermediate trait would require incomplete dominance, which isn’t the situation here, and showing both traits would require codominance.