When an individual of African descent marries and has children with an individual of European descent their children often have a mid shade of skin color. This can best be described as
A) X-linked inheritance.
B) polygenic inheritance.
C) pleiotropic inheritance.
D) the dominance of the gene for dark skin tone.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Polygenic inheritance is the most appropriate explanation for the mid shade of skin color observed in the children. Skin color is determined by multiple genes, and when alleles for dark and light skin tone are inherited in equal proportions, the resulting skin color is a blend of the two. This is the reason why the children have a mid shade of skin color, which is not due to the dominance of a single gene or X-linked or pleiotropic inheritance.

When an Individual of African Descent Marries and Has Children