AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -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. Alleles interact with each other in different ways.

Detailed explanation-2: -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-3: -Well, alleles are matching genes; one from our biological mother, one from our biological father. We have two copies of every gene (strings of code that drive some biological function on our chromosomes). They can be identical, but they can often have slight differences.

Detailed explanation-4: -The combination of alleles that an organism carries constitutes its genotype. If the paired alleles are the same, the organism’s genotype is said to be homozygous for that trait; if they are different, the organism’s genotype is heterozygous.

Detailed explanation-5: -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.