4. What pattern do you notice in the genotypes of the F1 generation snapdragons?

Answer 1

To analyze the genotypes of the F1 generation in snapdragons, let's first understand the process of their inheritance. Snapdragons exhibit incomplete dominance in the inheritance of flower color. In incomplete dominance, the dominant allele doesn't completely mask the recessive allele, resulting in a blending of traits in the heterozygous offspring.

Suppose we have two snapdragon plants, one with red flowers (RR) and one with white flowers (rr). The red flower color is determined by the dominant allele (R), while the white flower color is determined by the recessive allele (r).

When these two plants are crossed, the F1 generation will have the following genotype:

Parent 1: RR

Parent 2: rr

Gametes produced by each parent: R from Parent 1 and r from Parent 2

F1 offspring: Rr

In this case, the F1 generation will have only one genotype, Rr. Due to incomplete dominance, the phenotype of the F1 generation will be pink flowers, which is a blend of the red and white flower colors.

The pattern observed in the F1 generation of snapdragons is that all offspring are heterozygous (Rr) and exhibit a blending of the parental phenotypes.