Genes and alleles Original Scenario-Based Download PDF

Questions

1. 1.

   An astrobiologist studying the crystalline silkworms of Kepler-186f discovers that silk luminescence is determined by a single hereditary unit found at a specific locus on chromosome 4. Laboratory analyses reveal that this DNA unit exists in two distinct nucleotide variations across the population, where one version produces a turquoise glow and the other yields an amber radiance. In biological terminology, how should the relationship between the DNA unit governing silk luminescence and its two radiant forms be classified?

   • A) The turquoise and amber radiant forms represent two separate genes, whereas glow color itself constitutes an allele.
   • B) The glow color represents a diploid chromosome, whereas the radiant forms are non-homologous linked traits.
   • C) The overall trait is governed by a single gene, while the turquoise and amber forms are two different alleles of that gene.
   • D) The turquoise and amber forms are two separate genotypes, whereas glow color represents an allele on non-homologous loci.