Question
Explain the monohybrid cross with an example of the animal.
Answer
Monohybrid cross is a genetic cross between two individuals that differ in only one trait or character. In this type of cross, only one pair of contrasting traits or alleles is considered.
For example, consider a monohybrid cross between two guinea pigs, one with black fur and the other with white fur. The black fur is dominant and the white fur is recessive. Let B be the allele for black fur and b be the allele for white fur. The genotype of the black-furred guinea pig can be represented as BB or Bb, while the genotype of the white-furred guinea pig is bb.
When these two guinea pigs are crossed, the offspring are referred to as the first filial generation or F1 generation. The F1 generation will have a heterozygous genotype, which is Bb, because they inherited one allele for black fur (B) and one allele for white fur (b) from their parents.
The phenotypic ratio of the F1 generation will be 100% black fur since the black fur is dominant over the white fur. However, the genotypic ratio will be 1:2:1 (BB:Bb:bb), following the principles of Mendelian genetics.
