Question about genetics and hair color...?

Question

Let's say you have a father who is black-haired and a mother who is blonde. The couple has four children...would it be possible (or probable) for three children to turn out blonde and only one to turn out black-haired?

Answer 1

Yes, it is possible however, VERY unlikely because if either hair-color is dominant over the other, then one of the Genotypes, either the father's or mother's, have to be Homozygous and the alleles will depend on which of the hair-color is dominant, e.g. FF or ff.
In your question, we have to assume that blonde hair-color is dominant over black.
This means that the father has a Homozygous Recessive Genotype, "ff" which means he has the Fenotype Black Hair-color.
The mother on the other hand can have either Homozygous or Heterozygous Genotype, e.g. FF or Ff where both have the Fenotype Blonde Hair-color.

F = Blonde hair-color, for example FF or Ff.
f = Black hair-color, for example ff.

If we assume that the mother have a Homozygous Genotype, then:

FF (mother/blonde) * ff (father/black) = Ff, Ff, Ff, and Ff.
The result would be 4 blonde Heterozygous Children all with Blonde Hair-Color(Fenotype).

If we assume that the mother have a Heterozygous Genotype,
then:

Ff (mother/blonde) * ff (father/black) = Ff, Ff, ff, and ff.
The result would be 2 Heterozygous Blonde-Haired children and 2 Homozygous Black-Haired children(Fenotype).

For your given 'situation' be possible, both parents have to be Heterozygous Blondes, e.g. Ff (Father) and Ff (Mother). If this is the case then:

Ff * Ff = FF (blonde), Ff (blonde), Ff (blonde), and ff (black)
The result would be 3 Blonde-Haired children and one Black-Haired child.

Was it clear enough? xD
Anyway, as I just showed, it is HIGHLY unlikely for a black-haired father and a blonde-haired mother to have 3 blonde children and one black-haired child. But do know that there is always the factor of luck/chance. Nothing is entirely certain in the world of genetics. This means that there is always a chance where the results are unexpected, and this is most likely if the mother is Heterozygous because the result was 50/50.

Hope I helped.

-omni

Answer 2

It possible for them to have red hair and light skin or black hair and dark black skin, because its not just based on the Father and Mother its based on their Father and Mother's entire geneology, because every person has two sets of chromosome one from Mother and father and these are inherited by all ancestors. For example, and you can ask any pediatrician or nurse this, It is very possible for two caucasian people to have a black baby if one of their distant ancestors say great-grandfather was african-american. This happens quite often.

Answer 3

possible, yes, but not probable. Black hair would be the more dominant gene I believe. But like most of us born with blonde hair, the children's hair will likely darken as they age.

Answer 4

it is possible. it depends on the dominant genes.
in thes case it could be that with the 3 children the mother's gene to be the dominant for the hair color. for the 4th one- the father's gene was dominant.

Answer 5

Yes, it is possible, and it depends on the recessive traits of the mother and father. It really isn't probable, but it is possible.

Answer 6

OF COURSE!!!