Question 15 Marks
A man with blood group $A$ marries a woman with blood group $O$ and their daughter has blood group $O$. Is this information enough to tell you which of the traits-blood group A or $O$ - is dominant? Why or why not?
Answer
View full question & answer→No. There are two possibilities:
Case I: If the father's blood group is $A,$ and is the dominant trait, his genotypes will be $I^AI^A$ and $I^AI^O$ and the mother's blood group $O$ being a recessive trait, her genotype will be $I^OI^O.$ So, the daughter can receive one recessive allele $I^O$ from the father and another from the mother to have genotype $I^OI^O$ and the blood group $O.$
Case II: If the father's blood group $A$ is a recessive trait, his genotype will be $I^AI^A$ the mother's blood group $O$ being a dominant trait, her genotype will be $I^OI^O$ and $I^OI^A$. So, the daughter can receive one dominant allele $I^O$ from the mother and one recessive allele $I^A$ from the father to have genotype $I^OI^A$ and blood group $O.$
Case I: If the father's blood group is $A,$ and is the dominant trait, his genotypes will be $I^AI^A$ and $I^AI^O$ and the mother's blood group $O$ being a recessive trait, her genotype will be $I^OI^O.$ So, the daughter can receive one recessive allele $I^O$ from the father and another from the mother to have genotype $I^OI^O$ and the blood group $O.$
Case II: If the father's blood group $A$ is a recessive trait, his genotype will be $I^AI^A$ the mother's blood group $O$ being a dominant trait, her genotype will be $I^OI^O$ and $I^OI^A$. So, the daughter can receive one dominant allele $I^O$ from the mother and one recessive allele $I^A$ from the father to have genotype $I^OI^A$ and blood group $O.$