An organism having the genotype AaBbCcDdEe is self-fertilized. Assuming the five genes assort independently, determine the following proportions:

gametes that are expected to carry only dominant alleles

Key Concepts

Independent Assortment

Independent assortment is a fundamental principle of genetics stating that alleles for different genes segregate independently of one another during gamete formation. This means that the inheritance of one trait will not affect the inheritance of another, allowing for a variety of combinations in the offspring. In this case, the five genes (A, B, C, D, E) assort independently, which is crucial for calculating the proportions of gametes.

Genotype and Alleles

A genotype refers to the genetic constitution of an organism, represented by the alleles it possesses for a given trait. In the genotype AaBbCcDdEe, each letter represents a gene with two alleles: one dominant (uppercase) and one recessive (lowercase). Understanding the distinction between dominant and recessive alleles is essential for determining which gametes will carry only dominant alleles.

Gamete Formation and Proportions

Gamete formation involves the process of meiosis, where the alleles segregate to form gametes. For the genotype AaBbCcDdEe, each gene can contribute either a dominant or a recessive allele to the gametes. To find the proportion of gametes carrying only dominant alleles, one must calculate the combinations of dominant alleles from each gene, which can be determined using the multiplication rule of probability.