What is an allele?
a variant form of a gene
a variant form of a gene
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 trait that can be masked
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. It is not a non-inherited trait and can be masked by other alleles.
An allele is a variant form of a gene. To understand this concept, it helps to know about genes. Genes are segments of DNA that provide instructions for the development and functioning of living organisms. Each gene can have different versions, called alleles.
When an organism has two alleles for a particular gene, one inherited from each parent, it is said to be diploid. These alleles can be the same or different. If the alleles are the same, the organism is homozygous for that gene. If the alleles are different, the organism is heterozygous.
The traits or characteristics of an organism, such as eye color, height, or blood type, are determined by the combination of alleles it has for various genes. Some traits are controlled by a single gene with only two possible alleles, while others are influenced by multiple genes and have a wider range of allele variations.
One important feature of alleles is that they can have different effects on the traits they control. Some alleles may be dominant, meaning that their effect overrides the effect of other alleles. On the other hand, some alleles may be recessive, meaning that their effect is only observed when there are two copies of the recessive allele present.
For example, let's consider the gene that controls the inheritance of eye color. There might be two alleles for this gene: one for blue eyes and another for brown eyes. If an individual has one blue eye allele and one brown eye allele, they will have brown eyes because the brown eye allele is dominant. The blue eye allele is recessive and only results in blue eyes if both alleles are blue.
So, in summary, an allele is a variant form of a gene that can influence the traits or characteristics of an organism. It can be inherited from one or both parents, have dominant or recessive effects, and contribute to the diversity of traits within a population.