Name _____________________________ Period___________________Date__________________

VIRTUAL LAB

Breeding Mutations in Fruit Flies

Teacher Notes and Answer Key

ANALYZE AND CONCLUDE

1. The flies in the F 1 generation only had the tan, wild-type body color. The flies
in the F 2 generation had a mixture of tan and ebony body color.
2. All offspring Ee
3. Genotype: All Ee; phenotype: All tan body color
4. Offspring of cross of Ee × Ee are 25% EE, 50% Ee, 25% ee
5. Genotype: 1 EE: 2 Ee: 1 ee; phenotype: 3 tan body color : 1 ebony-body color
6. The tan body color is dominant over the ebony-body color. There were no
instances of the ebony body color in the F 1 generation. This is because each of
the offspring inherited one dominant gene and one recessive gene for body
color, and the dominant gene was expressed.
7. The ebony-body trait is only expressed in fruit flies that are homozygous for
the recessive gene. If the fruit fly is homozygous for the dominant gene or
heterozygous, containing one dominant and one recessive gene, then the fruit
fly expresses the tan body color.
8. Answers will vary. Students should include information about dominant and
recessive genes. Students may infer that the puppies inherited at least one gene
for dark hair from the father, and that the gene for dark hair is dominant over
the gene for light hair, which the puppies may have received from the mother.
The dark-hair gene is expressed, and all of the puppies appear to have dark
hair.

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Holt McDougal Biology 1 Meiosis and Mendel

Virtual Lab Section 5: Traits and Probability
Name _____________________________ Period___________________Date__________________
VIRTUAL LAB

Breeding Mutations in Fruit Flies

ANALYZE AND CONCLUDE
1. Analyze Describe the differences in body color observed in the F 1 and F 2
generations.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. Analyze Construct a Punnett square to show the original cross between the tan
fruit fly and the ebony fruit fly.
_______________________________________________________________
3. Analyze What is the genotypic ratio of the F 1 offspring? What is the
phenotypic ratio of the F 1 offspring?
_______________________________________________________________
4. Analyze Construct a Punnett square to show the second cross.
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5. Analyze What is the genotypic ratio of the F 2 offspring? What is the
phenotypic ratio of the F 2 offspring?
_______________________________________________________________
6. Infer Is the trait for ebony body color recessive or dominant? How can you
tell?
_______________________________________________________________
7. Conclude Why did the ebony body color disappear in the F 1 generation and
reappear in the F 2 generation?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
8. Apply Why do you think the puppy litter was all dark-haired? Remember the
mother was light-haired and the father was dark-haired.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Holt McDougal Biology 2 Meiosis and Mendel

Virtual Lab Section 5: Traits and Probability