[Campbell Biology P.344] In the fruit fly gene notation system developed by Morgan, what doe... | Practice Question

In the fruit fly gene notation system developed by Morgan, what does a superscript '+' e.g., in w+ signify?

  • A: A dominant allele
  • B: A recessive allele
  • C: The allele for the wild-type trait
  • D: A gene located on the X chromosome

Explanation

The text clearly explains the notation: 'A superscript + identifies the allele for the wild-type trait: w+ for the allele for red eyes, for example.' The base symbol w comes from the first mutant discovered white , and the '+' is added to denote the common, non-mutant version.