AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Every person has two copies of each gene, one inherited from each parent. Most genes are the same in all people, but a small number of genes (less than 1 percent of the total) are slightly different between people. Alleles are forms of the same gene with small differences in their sequence of DNA bases.

Detailed explanation-2: -Each variation of a gene is called an allele (pronounced ‘AL-eel’). These two copies of the gene contained in your chromosomes influence the way your cells work. The two alleles in a gene pair are inherited, one from each parent.

Detailed explanation-3: -Every individual has two copies, or alleles, or a single gene. When the alleles are the same, they are known as homozygotes. When they are different, they are called heterozygotes.

Detailed explanation-4: -Since diploid organisms have two copies of each chromosome, they have two of each gene. Since genes come in more than one version, an organism can have two of the same alleles of a gene, or two different alleles.

Detailed explanation-5: -Genetic variants, including insertions, deletions, and duplications of segments of DNA, are also collectively referred to as copy number variants. Copy number variants account for a significant proportion of the genetic variation between individuals.