Genotype of German Cockroaches with Linked Genes

Understanding Genotype of German Cockroaches

In German cockroaches, bulging eyes, bu, are recessive to normal eyes, bu, and curved wings, cv, are recessive to straight wings, cv. Both traits are encoded by autosomal genes that are linked. A cockroach has genotype bu bu cv cv, and the genes are in repulsion.

Most Common Gametes in Linked Genes

Which set of genes will be found in the most common gametes produced by this cockroach?

Answer:

In the given scenario, the German cockroach has the genotype bu bu cv cv, with bulging eyes (bu) and curved wings (cv) being recessive traits. The genes are in repulsion, meaning the dominant and recessive alleles are on opposite homologous chromosomes. Due to genetic linkage, the alleles will be inherited together more frequently than expected by chance.

In this case, the most common gametes produced by this cockroach will contain the linked genes bu and cv. Since both traits are recessive, the alleles are less likely to be separated during recombination. Therefore, the most common gametes from this cockroach will have the combination of bulging eyes (bu) and curved wings (cv).

In the given scenario, what is the genotype of the German cockroach and how are the genes positioned?

The genotype of the German cockroach is bu bu cv cv, with the genes for bulging eyes (bu) and curved wings (cv) being in repulsion, meaning the dominant and recessive alleles are on opposite homologous chromosomes.