What is a monohybrid cross?

A monohybrid cross is specifically focused on examining the inheritance of a single trait or gene. It involves the breeding of two individuals that are both heterozygous for that one trait, which means they carry two different alleles for the gene in question (for example, Aa, where A is the dominant allele and a is the recessive allele). This setup allows for the observation of how different combinations of these alleles will be expressed in the offspring, providing insights into the principles of inheritance as outlined by Mendel.

In this context, a monohybrid cross typically produces offspring that can display various phenotypic ratios, such as 3:1 for dominant to recessive traits, depending on the alleles contributed by each parent.

The other choices do not accurately describe a monohybrid cross. A cross between individuals that are completely homozygous would not capture the variability associated with heterozygous traits. Similarly, a cross that examines multiple traits simultaneously refers to a dihybrid cross or more complex genetic crosses. Lastly, a cross involving two homozygous individuals with different traits does not yield heterozygous offspring for a single trait, instead producing offspring that are all heterozygous for that trait but not a mix