In genetic terms, what is the probability that the offspring will inherit straight fur from a parent with genotype Ss and another with ss?

To determine the probability of the offspring inheriting straight fur from parents with genotypes Ss (heterozygous for fur type) and ss (homozygous recessive), we first need to understand the genetic representations of fur type. Assuming that straight fur is recessive and represented by the lowercase 's,' while the dominant trait for curly fur is represented by the uppercase 'S', the possible gametes produced by each parent will affect the inheritance of traits in their offspring.

The parent with the genotype Ss can produce two types of gametes: S (dominant) and s (recessive). The parent with genotype ss can only produce one type of gamete, which is s.

To visualize the potential offspring, we can set up a Punnett square:

• The top row (from the Ss parent) can be either S or s.

• The side column (from the ss parent) will consist of s only.

The resulting combinations from this Punnett square would be:

1. Ss (curly fur, dominant)

2. ss (straight fur, recessive)

Analyzing these combinations, out of the two possible genotypes for the offspring, one genotype (ss) results in straight fur. Therefore, the probability