Question

A study found that children with light-coloured eyes are likely to have parents with light-coloured eyes. On this basis, can we say anything about whether the light eye colour trait is dominant or recessive? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

No, we cannot say whether the light eye colour trait is dominant or recessive based only on this information. The study shows that children with light-coloured eyes are likely to have parents with light-coloured eyes. However, this observation alone is not sufficient to determine if the trait is dominant or recessive. This is because this pattern can be observed in both cases — whether light eye colour is dominant or recessive. To determine whether a trait is dominant or recessive, we would need to study the inheritance pattern across multiple generations and examine cases where parents have different eye colours. We would need to observe whether the trait appears in all offspring or only some, and track how it is passed down through generations. — The textbook explains that sexually reproducing individuals have two copies of genes for each trait, and if the copies are not identical, the trait that gets expressed is called the dominant trait while the other is called recessive. However, simply knowing that children with light eyes tend to have parents with light eyes does not provide enough information about the inheritance pattern. This correlation could exist whether light eye colour is dominant (where even one copy would express the trait) or recessive (where two copies are needed). Without studying crosses between parents with different eye colours or tracking inheritance across generations, we cannot determine the nature of the trait.

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