Question 8

The phenotype of the offspring Bb would be Black.

The offspring with the genotype Bb would exhibit a black phenotype, as the presence of the dominant allele 'B' dictates the outward appearance.

A) Black

This option is correct because the presence of the dominant allele 'B' in the genotype Bb leads to the expression of the black phenotype. In genetic terms, dominant alleles mask the effects of recessive alleles, resulting in the observed trait being black.

B) Black and tan

This option is incorrect as the phenotype of black and tan would typically require the presence of both alleles contributing to that specific coloration. In the case of Bb, the dominant black phenotype prevails, and there is no indication that combining black with tan would occur.

C) Tan

This option is incorrect since the tan phenotype is associated with the homozygous recessive genotype (bb). The presence of the dominant allele 'B' in Bb ensures that the phenotype will be black, not tan.

D) Not enough information

This option is incorrect because the information provided is sufficient to determine the phenotype based on the genotype Bb. The dominance of the allele 'B' clearly indicates that the phenotype will be black.

Conclusion

The correct answer is A) Black, as the dominant allele B in the Bb genotype dictates this phenotype. All other options fail to account for the dominance of the black allele, resulting in their incorrectness. Thus, the understanding of dominant and recessive traits is key to this question.