In a population of field mice in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, some individuals have lighter coat colors than others. Which of the following would be the most straightforward way to observe whether the lighter coat color is a heritable trait?
A) Obtain DNA sequence from the individuals.
B) Breed the mice of both colors in the lab and observe the coat colors of their offspring.
C) Perform a chemical analysis of the coat hairs.
D) Conduct a field experiment to observe whether the lighter mice have a lower risk of predation than the darker mice.
E) Compare the number of offspring produced by light- and dark-colored mice.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Breeding the mice and observing the coat colors of their offspring would allow for the evaluation of whether the trait is passed on from one generation to the next, providing evidence for its heritability.

In a Population of Field Mice in the Sand Hills