Complete the Punnett square showing all the possible blood types for the offspring produced by a type “O” mother and a Type “AB” father. What are the percentages of each offspring
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To determine the potential blood types of offspring from a type “O” mother and a type “AB” father, we need to understand the genetics behind blood types. Blood type is controlled by the ABO blood group system, where there are three alleles: A, B, and O.
- Type A blood results from having either two A alleles (AA) or one A allele and one O allele (AO).
- Type B blood comes from having either two B alleles (BB) or one B allele and one O allele (BO).
- Type AB blood is a result of inheriting one A allele and one B allele (AB).
- Type O blood occurs when a person has two O alleles (OO), since O is recessive.
Parent Genotypes:
- Mother: Type O blood, so her genotype must be OO.
- Father: Type AB blood, so his genotype must be AB.
Punnett Square:
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| O | AO | BO |
| O | AO | BO |
Results:
- 50% of the offspring will inherit the A allele from the father and the O allele from the mother, resulting in Type A blood (AO).
- 50% of the offspring will inherit the B allele from the father and the O allele from the mother, resulting in Type B blood (BO).
Conclusion:
- 50% of the offspring will have blood type A.
- 50% of the offspring will have blood type B.
Since the O allele is recessive, the child will not have blood type O or AB because neither the father nor the mother carries the appropriate combination of alleles for those types. This explains why only blood types A and B are possible for their children.
