Pleiotropic genes ____.
A) act on secondary sexual characteristics
B) influence more than one aspect of phenotype
C) are additive
D) produce lethal effects when homozygous
E) can only affect one trait or characteristic at a time

Question

Pleiotropic genes ____.
A) ​act on secondary sexual characteristics
B) ​influence more than one aspect of phenotype
C) ​are additive
D) ​produce lethal effects when homozygous
E) ​can only affect one trait or characteristic at a time

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Pleiotropic genes have the capacity to influence multiple aspects of an individual's phenotype, so option B is the correct choice. Option A is incorrect because pleiotropic genes do not necessarily act on secondary sexual characteristics only. Option C is incorrect because pleiotropic genes are not necessarily additive; they can have non-additive effects. Option D is incorrect because pleiotropic genes do not necessarily produce lethal effects when homozygous. Option E is incorrect because pleiotropic genes have the capacity to affect multiple traits or characteristics.

Pleiotropic Genes ____