A geneticist studying petal pigmentation in a diploid flowering plant isolates a specific DNA sequence on chromosome 3 that determines anthocyanin production. Population screening reveals two functional variants of this sequence, designated P1 and P2, which produce purple and pink petals respectively. Further analysis shows that while both variants exist across the population, no single diploid individual ever carries more than two copies of these variants in total. Based on this evidence, which statement best explains the relationship between P1 and P2?

A) They represent two separate genes located on non-homologous chromosomes that interact to control petal color.

B) They are alternative alleles of the same gene that occupy identical loci on homologous chromosomes.

C) They are identical gene duplicates formed on sister chromatids during mitotic cell division.

D) They represent non-allelic genes situated at distinct map positions along the same chromosome.

Genes and alleles Transitional Reasoning Practice

Biology · Heredity · Biology · Mendelian Genetics

1 Biology practice questions on Genes and alleles. Questions that build towards applied reasoning.

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Heredity · Biology

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