punnett squares are used to show possible combinations of alleles or to predict the probability of a trait occurring in offspring. cats that have coats that are a patchwork of black and orange are called tortoiseshell cats, are typically female, and have genes that code for both black fur (xo) and orange fur (xo) located on the x chromosomes. y chromosomes do not code for color in tortoiseshell cats. a female cat that has only orange fur (xoxo) is crossed with a male cat that has only black fur (xoy).
If the question is how many of the offspring will have tortoiseshell coloring (XOXo), the answer is 2 in 4.
Let's take a look at that cross:
Parents: XOXO x XoY
Offspring: XOXo XOY XOXo XOY
The offspring will look like this:
Of total 4 offspring, 2 female cats that have tortoiseshell coloring (XOXo), and 2 male cats with orange coloring.
Answer: Number of offspring’s that will have tortoiseshell coloring (XOXo) are 2
Explanation:
Key:
A female cat that has only orange fur -> (xoxo)
A male cat that has only black fur -> (xoy)
So, as per the cross the four offspring’s would have the probability as follows
2 offspring’s: female cats that have have tortoiseshell coloring (XOXo)
2 offspring’s: male cats with orange coloring.
Cross:
Parents: XOXO x XoY
Offspring: XOXo XOY XOXo XOY