Distinguish between the following paired terms: (b) heterozygous and homozygous,
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Understand the concept of alleles: Alleles are different forms of a gene that can exist at a specific locus on a chromosome. These alleles determine traits such as eye color or blood type.
Define homozygous: Homozygous refers to an individual who has two identical alleles for a particular gene at a specific locus. For example, if both alleles for eye color are 'blue' (bb), the individual is homozygous for that trait.
Define heterozygous: Heterozygous refers to an individual who has two different alleles for a particular gene at a specific locus. For example, if one allele is 'blue' (b) and the other is 'brown' (B), the individual is heterozygous for that trait.
Explain the functional difference: In homozygous individuals, the trait expressed is determined solely by the identical alleles. In heterozygous individuals, the dominant allele typically determines the trait expressed, while the recessive allele is masked.
Provide examples for clarity: For homozygous, an example could be 'AA' or 'aa' for a gene. For heterozygous, an example could be 'Aa', where 'A' is dominant and 'a' is recessive.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Heterozygous
Heterozygous refers to an organism that has two different alleles for a specific gene. For example, if one allele is for brown eyes and the other is for blue eyes, the organism is heterozygous for the eye color trait. This genetic variation can lead to a range of phenotypes, depending on how the alleles interact.
Homozygous describes an organism that has two identical alleles for a particular gene. For instance, if both alleles are for brown eyes, the organism is homozygous for the eye color trait. This uniformity can result in a consistent expression of the trait, as both alleles contribute the same genetic information.
Alleles are different versions of a gene that can exist at a specific locus on a chromosome. Each individual inherits one allele from each parent, which can be either dominant or recessive. The combination of these alleles determines the organism's genotype and can influence its phenotype, or observable traits.