Multiple Allele Traits in Rabbits (Bio 2A) - Explaining coat color inheritance and dominance.

Problem Overview:

The task involves determining the coat color of rabbits based on their genotypes, given the dominance hierarchy of alleles that affect coat color. The alleles and their corresponding phenotypes are provided in the table:

- C: Full color (black or brown)
- c^h: Light gray coat
- c^h: Himalayan (white with colored nose, paws, and tail)
- c: Albino (white)

The order of dominance is:
C > c^h > c^h > c

We need to determine the phenotype (coat color) for each genotype listed.

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Solution:

#### Step 1: Understand the Dominance Hierarchy
The alleles are arranged in a dominance hierarchy:
1. C (full color) is dominant over all other alleles.
2. c^h (light gray) is dominant over c^h (Himalayan) and c (albino).
3. c^h (Himalayan) is dominant over c (albino).
4. c (albino) is recessive to all other alleles.

#### Step 2: Analyze Each Genotype
We will evaluate each genotype one by one based on the dominance hierarchy.

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##### Genotype 1: C C^h
- Alleles present: C and c^h
- Dominance: C is dominant over c^h.
- Phenotype: Full color (black or brown).

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##### Genotype 2: C C^h
- Alleles present: C and c^h
- Dominance: C is dominant over c^h.
- Phenotype: Full color (black or brown).

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##### Genotype 3: c c
- Alleles present: c and c
- Dominance: Both alleles are recessive (c), so the recessive phenotype is expressed.
- Phenotype: Albino (white).

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##### Genotype 4: C c
- Alleles present: C and c
- Dominance: C is dominant over c.
- Phenotype: Full color (black or brown).

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##### Genotype 5: C^h c
- Alleles present: c^h and c
- Dominance: c^h is dominant over c.
- Phenotype: Light gray coat.

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##### Genotype 6: C^h c^h
- Alleles present: c^h and c^h
- Dominance: Both alleles are the same (c^h), so the phenotype is expressed as c^h.
- Phenotype: Himalayan (white with colored nose, paws, and tail).

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Final Answer:

Summarizing the phenotypes for each genotype:

1. C C^h: Full color (black or brown)
2. C C^h: Full color (black or brown)
3. c c: Albino (white)
4. C c: Full color (black or brown)
5. C^h c: Light gray coat
6. C^h c^h: Himalayan (white with colored nose, paws, and tail)

$$
\boxed{
\begin{array}{ll}
\text{Genotype} & \text{Phenotype} \\
C C^h & \text{Full color (black or brown)} \\
C C^h & \text{Full color (black or brown)} \\
c c & \text{Albino (white)} \\
C c & \text{Full color (black or brown)} \\
C^h c & \text{Light gray coat} \\
C^h C^h & \text{Himalayan (white with colored nose, paws, and tail)}
\end{array}
}
$$