Genetic Inheritance: Understanding Dominant and Recessive Traits

In genetic inheritance, traits are determined by alleles, which are different forms of a gene. An individual inherits two alleles for each gene, one from each parent. These alleles can be either dominant or recessive, and their interaction determines the traits that are expressed.

When an individual has two different alleles for a gene, one allele may be dominant over the other. The dominant allele will be expressed in the phenotype, while the recessive allele will only be expressed if both copies of the gene are recessive.

For example, if we consider the trait for hair color, with brown hair being dominant and blonde hair being recessive, an individual with one allele for brown hair and one allele for blonde hair will have brown hair. This is because the dominant brown hair allele will be expressed in the phenotype.

However, if both alleles are for blonde hair, the individual will have blonde hair, as the recessive blonde hair allele will be expressed in the absence of a dominant brown hair allele.

Understanding dominant and recessive traits is essential in predicting the likelihood of certain traits being passed on from parents to offspring. By studying genetic inheritance patterns, scientists can determine the probability of specific traits appearing in future generations.