Genetics

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What is an allele?

Back

An allele is a variant form of a gene that can produce different traits. For example, the gene for flower color in pea plants can have a purple allele or a white allele.

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What is a dominant allele?

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A dominant allele is an allele that expresses its trait even when only one copy is present in the genotype. It masks the effect of a recessive allele.

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What is a recessive allele?

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A recessive allele is an allele whose trait only shows up when no dominant allele is present. It is represented by a lowercase letter.

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What does homozygous mean?

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Homozygous refers to having two identical alleles for a particular gene, such as 'TT' or 'tt'.

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What does heterozygous mean?

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Heterozygous refers to having two different alleles for a particular gene, such as 'Tt'.

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What is a genotype?

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A genotype is the genetic makeup of an organism, represented by the alleles it possesses, such as 'DD', 'Dd', or 'dd'.

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What is a phenotype?

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A phenotype is the observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, determined by its genotype.

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What is a Punnett Square?

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A Punnett Square is a diagram used to predict the outcome of a genetic cross by showing the possible combinations of alleles from the parents.

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What is the purpose of a Punnett Square?

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The purpose of a Punnett Square is to determine the probability of an offspring inheriting particular traits from its parents.

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What is the difference between dominant and recessive traits?

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Dominant traits are expressed when at least one dominant allele is present, while recessive traits are only expressed when two recessive alleles are present.