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The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
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Based on the image provided, the correct answer is:
The genotype is heterozygous.
Explanation
The image displays a flower that has both white petals and blue petals. This visual evidence is key to understanding the plant’s genetic makeup for flower color.
A genotype refers to the specific combination of alleles, or gene versions, an organism possesses for a particular trait. An individual is homozygous if it has two identical alleles (for example, two alleles for white color or two alleles for blue color). An individual is heterozygous if it has two different alleles (one for white and one for blue).
In this case, the flower is expressing both the blue trait and the white trait simultaneously. If the plant were homozygous for blue, all its petals would be blue. If it were homozygous for white, all its petals would be white. The presence of two distinct phenotypes on a single organism indicates that it must carry the genetic instructions for both colors. This means its genotype must be heterozygous.
This pattern of inheritance is known as codominance. In codominance, neither allele is dominant or recessive to the other. Instead, a heterozygous individual expresses both alleles fully and distinctly. The patches of blue and patches of white on the flower are a classic example of this phenomenon.
The other option, “White petal color is a recessive trait,” is incorrect. A recessive trait is one that is masked or hidden when a dominant allele is present. If white were recessive and blue were dominant, a heterozygous plant would have entirely blue flowers, as the dominant blue allele would overpower the expression of the recessive white allele. Since the white color is clearly visible alongside the blue, it cannot be a recessive trait in this genetic context. Therefore, the only logical conclusion from the image is that the plant is heterozygous for the flower color gene.
