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Which one of the following is an example of polygenic inheritance ?
A
Flower colour in Mirabilis jalapa
B
Production of male honey bee
C
Pod shape in garden pea
D
Skin colour in humans
Detailed Solution
In polygenic inheritance a character is controlled by three or more genes, each allele having a small additive effect, so the phenotype shows a continuous range.
Human skin colour is controlled by at least three genes (A, B and C). The more dominant alleles a person has, the more melanin is produced and the darker the skin; this is the classic example of polygenic inheritance.
Flower colour in Mirabilis jalapa (four o'clock plant) is an example of incomplete dominance, with red, pink and white flowers in a 1 : 2 : 1 ratio.
The production of male honey bees (drones) from unfertilised eggs is haplo-diploid sex determination (parthenogenesis).
Pod shape in garden pea is controlled by a single gene and shows simple Mendelian inheritance.
So the example of polygenic inheritance is skin colour in humans.
Human skin colour is controlled by at least three genes (A, B and C). The more dominant alleles a person has, the more melanin is produced and the darker the skin; this is the classic example of polygenic inheritance.
Flower colour in Mirabilis jalapa (four o'clock plant) is an example of incomplete dominance, with red, pink and white flowers in a 1 : 2 : 1 ratio.
The production of male honey bees (drones) from unfertilised eggs is haplo-diploid sex determination (parthenogenesis).
Pod shape in garden pea is controlled by a single gene and shows simple Mendelian inheritance.
So the example of polygenic inheritance is skin colour in humans.