If a given population of diploid organisms contains only three alleles of a particular gene (say, W1, W2, and W3), how many different diploid genotypes are possible in the population?

The correct answer is 6 genotypes

Explanation:

The most known case is two alleles of one gene (A and a), and we know the possible genotypes formed are three: AA, Aa, aa. Therefore, for a given number of alleles n, we calculate the number of possible genotypes as the sum of integers between 1 and n.

- For 2 alleles (n=2, the sum of integers between 1 and 2): Genotypes= 1 + 2= 3

⇒ For 3 alleles (n=3, the sum of integers between 1 and 3): Genotypes= 1 + 2 + 3= 6

So, we have 6 genotypes for 3 alleles (W1, W2 and W3) and they are:

W1W1

W1W2

W1W3

W2W2

W2W3

W3W3

i would say it is

emerging idea only occurs as a raw idea that could appear out of nowhere. meanwhile, to reach scientific consensus , that idea must be structured and tested over and over again through various experiments. the scientific consensus transforms the raw idea into idea that is more reliable through the process of scientific elimination.