Consider a gene with four alleles A₁, A₂, A₃, and A₄. How many distinct genotypes are possible, taking into account both homozygous and heterozygous genotypes? A)6 B)7 C)8 D)9 E)10

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

For a gene with four different alleles, the number of possible genotypes can be calculated using the formula for combinations with repetition: n + r - 1 choose r, where n is the number of alleles and r is the number of genes in a genotype (which is 2 for diploid organisms). Here, n = 4 and r = 2, so the calculation is 4 + 2 - 1 choose 2 = 5 choose 2 = 10. This includes both homozygous (each allele paired with itself) and heterozygous combinations.

Consider a Gene with Four Alleles A1, A2, A3, and A4

Consider a Gene with Four Alleles A₁, A₂, A₃, and A₄