Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus: Predicting Their Baby's Vision
Santa Claus is homozygous for good vision, meaning he has two copies of the dominant allele for good vision represented as "G". On the other hand, Mrs. Claus is nearsighted, a recessive trait, having two copies of the recessive allele for nearsightedness represented as "g".
When they have a baby, the baby can inherit the following genotypes and phenotypes:
1. GG (homozygous dominant):
The baby receives a "G" allele from Santa Claus and a "G" allele from Mrs. Claus. This genotype ensures that the baby will have good vision like Santa Claus and will not need glasses.
2. Gg (heterozygous):
The baby receives a "G" allele from Santa Claus and a "g" allele from Mrs. Claus. This genotype results in good vision like Santa Claus, but the baby will be a carrier of the nearsightedness trait. They will not need glasses themselves, but may pass on the nearsightedness trait to their own children in the future.
3. gg (homozygous recessive):
The baby receives a "g" allele from both parents, leading to nearsightedness like Mrs. Claus. This genotype suggests that the baby will likely need glasses at some point in the future.
In summary, the potential genotypes and phenotypes for Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus's baby are:
Genotypes: GG, Gg, gg