Question

HELP

Imagine you are investigating a mutation that causes rabbits to have floppy ears rather than upright ears. Design an experiment to determine if this new trait is a sex-linked gene or a gene found on one of the other chromosomes. Write out the following components of the experiment.

a) Purpose:

b) Hypothesis:

c) Prediction:

d) Describe the basic procedure you would use:

e) What results would you expect to see if the trait is sex-linked?

f) What results would you expect to see if the trait is not sex-linked?

Answer 1

I have A. I need B-F

Answer 2

First, you need to understand what comes with sex-linked traits. Like how they are transmitted into progenies from parents. So we are talking about the XX or XY in usual cases and then we have to consider about dominance, co-dominance or incomplete dominance. From your problem, it appears that you are dealing with single-gene inheritance. You should be able to do Mendelian hybrid crosses to have a sense of what is going on.

Let me know what you found out about these topics I raised so we can proceed with proper hypothesis.

Hypothesis is an explanation for certain phenomenon that we need to be able to disprove. In essence, our hypothesis should be worded in a way we are disproving that floppiness is sex-linked, which will bring us into autosomal inheritance or even perhaps with multi-factorial inheritance.

It would be something like if floppy/straight ear phenotype is sex-linked, then no floppiness in the F1 and F2 progenies will be observed if both the mother and father rabbits have no mutations in the sex-chromosomes.

This translate to: mutations in the sex chromosomes (genes) will appear if .... (conditions for single gene x-linked factor; both x-linked dominant and x-linked recessive) are met and there will be no appearance of floppiness of ears if neither the mother or the father has mutated sex chromosome related to floppiness of the ears.

Answer 3

Hypothesis and predictions are tied.

Answer 4

The basic procedures would be to cross pure-bred rabbits both with upright ears with pure-bred rabbits with floppy ears. Breeding pattern A) pick out male upright ears, female floppy ears. Breeding pattern B) cross the other way, male floppy ears, female upright ears. Record their first generation progenies.
Breeding pattern C) do a test-cross.
Breed first generation progenies with pure-bred upright and then do the same with pure-bred floppy.

Answer 5

@nincompoop THANKS SO MUCH