What is an allele?(1 point)
Responses
a trait that appears in an offspring if one of the parents contributes it
a trait that appears in an offspring if one of the parents contributes it
a non-inherited trait
a non-inherited trait
a variant form of a gene
a variant form of a gene
a trait that can be masked
a trait that can be masked
An allele is a variant form of a gene. It is a trait that appears in an offspring if one of the parents contributes it. So, the correct response is "a variant form of a gene."
All of the above statements describe an allele. An allele is a variant form of a gene that can be passed from parents to offspring and determines the expression of a particular trait. It can be inherited and appear in the offspring if one of the parents contributes it. It can also be masked by another allele in a phenomenon called dominance.
The correct answer is: a variant form of a gene.
To understand what an allele is, we need to start with the concept of a gene. Genes are segments of DNA that contain instructions for building and maintaining an organism's cells and tissues. Each gene provides instructions for a specific trait, such as eye color or height. However, genes can have different variants, or versions, called alleles.
An allele is a specific form of a gene that can vary in its structure or function compared to other alleles of the same gene. For example, the gene for eye color may have different alleles, such as the allele for brown eyes and the allele for blue eyes. These alleles determine the specific expression or appearance of a trait in an organism.
When an organism inherits two different alleles of a gene, one from each parent, they may have a combination of both alleles or show the dominant allele's trait. This is why the first response states that an allele is "a trait that appears in an offspring if one of the parents contributes it" and "a trait that can be masked."
In summary, an allele is a variant form of a gene that determines specific traits in an organism and can be inherited from one or both parents.