what's the difference between dominant and recessive allele?
The difference between dominant and recessive alleles lies in their expression and influence on traits. An allele is a variant form of a gene, and genes are responsible for determining our traits or characteristics.
A dominant allele is one that, if present, will be expressed or observed in the individual's phenotype, which is the physical manifestation of traits. In other words, even if there is only one copy of a dominant allele, it will "dominate" or mask the presence of the corresponding recessive allele. Dominant alleles are symbolized by capital letters.
On the other hand, a recessive allele is one that is only expressed in the phenotype if there are two copies of it present. If there is at least one dominant allele present, the recessive allele's effects will not be observed. Recessive alleles are symbolized by lowercase letters.
To determine the inheritance pattern of dominant and recessive alleles, a Punnett square can be used. By cross-breeding organisms with known genotypes, the Punnett square predicts the probabilities of different allele combinations in offspring.
To find the specific dominant and recessive alleles for a particular trait, it is important to study inheritance patterns within a population, conduct experiments, analyze genetic information, or refer to scientific literature.