Imagine that a researcher is constructing a pedigree for a trait he expects to show recessive inheritance in humans. What are the likely characteristics of this trait?
A)This trait may not occur within every generation of a family-it could be said to "skip" generations.
B)The parents of children who have this trait may not themselves be affected.
C)Both males and females within a given family can have this trait-it doesn't appear to be sex-specific.
D)There may be instances of first-cousin mating in this pedigree, resulting in affected children.
E)All of these choices are correct.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

All of these characteristics are commonly observed in pedigrees with a recessive trait. The trait may skip generations and not be present in every generation (A), affected children can have parents who are not affected (B), the trait can be seen in both males and females (C), and close relatives such as first cousins may have an increased chance of producing affected children if they both carry the recessive allele (D).

Imagine That a Researcher Is Constructing a Pedigree for a Trait