Which of the following is a characteristic of an autosomal recessive trait?

An autosomal recessive trait is characterized by the need for two copies of the recessive allele to be present in order for the trait to manifest. This means that individuals who are affected typically inherit one recessive allele from each parent.

The option highlighting that the trait affects males and females equally is correct because autosomal traits are located on non-sex chromosomes and do not depend on an individual’s sex. Therefore, both males and females have an equal chance of expressing the trait if they inherit the necessary alleles.

In contrast, traits that are seen in every generation usually indicate a dominant pattern of inheritance, where affected individuals are likely to have affected parents. Similarly, the presence of affected parents in an affected individual points to a dominant trait, as recessive traits can occur in individuals without affected parents if both parents are carriers. Unaffected parents of an affected child can indeed transmit a recessive trait, but this option does not fully encapsulate the broader characteristic of autosomal recessive inheritance explained in this context.