Compare7 marksChallenge
In a study of dairy cattle, researchers recorded two traits: milk yield (litres per day) for 50 cows from each of two different farms, and coat colour type (either black-and-white or red-and-white) for the same cows. The milk yield data from Farm A had a mean of 28.3 L/day and from Farm B a mean of 26.1 L/day. Coat colour was determined by a single gene with two alleles.
(a) Compare the nature of variation for milk yield and coat colour in terms of type (discontinuous/continuous) and genetic basis.
(b) Explain why a t-test is appropriate to compare milk yield between the two farms but not appropriate to compare coat colour.