With X-linked traits, who is more likely to be a carrier, and who is more likely to express them?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When evaluating X-linked traits, it's important to consider how inheritance differs between the sex chromosomes and the typical patterns of exposure in males and females.
Option 1: 'Females are more likely to be carriers, whereas males are more likely to express them.' This aligns with the classic pattern for many X-linked traits, especially X-linked recessive ones, where females can carry the mutated allele on one X chromosome and be asymptomatic, while males who inherit the mutated X (with only one X) are more likely to express the trait.
Option 2: 'Females are just as likely to be carriers as to express them.' In many X-linked conditions, females are less likely to express the trait due to having two X chromosomes (one can be normal, compensating for the other), so this symmetry in frequencies is not typically accurate, particularly for recessive forms.
Option 3: 'Males are more likely to be carriers, whereas females are more likely to express them.' This reverses the usual risk pattern. Males cannot be carriers in the same sense as females for X-linked traits because they have only one X; if they carry the mutation, they usually express it rather than merely carry it, so calling them 'carriers' is misleading for classic X-linked inheritance.
Option 4: 'Males are unlikely to be carriers or to express them.' This statement ignores the key fact that males with a mutated X frequently express X-linked traits directly, since they lack a second X chromosome to mask the effect. It underestimates both the expression risk in males and the carrier status concept in females.
In summary, the core idea hinges on the difference between carriers (often asymptomatic females) and expression (more readily in males for X-linked mutations). The options vary in how accurately they reflect that dynamic, with the first option capturing the essential pattern for many X-linked traits, while the others present misunderstandings about carrier status, expression, and sex-specific risk.

Intro to Child Psychology CHILD PSYC Exam #1 - Due 10/1

With X-linked traits, who is more likely to be a carrier, and who is more likely to express them?

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