Question

Difficulty: EasyGenetics and Heredity

In genetics, which statement correctly describes a dominant allele?

  1. A
    It is always the most common allele found in a population.
  2. It is expressed in an organism's phenotype even if only one copy is inherited.Answer
  3. C
    It must be inherited from both parents in order to be expressed physically.
  4. D
    It physically alters the nucleotide sequence of the recessive allele during reproduction.

Answer

A dominant allele is expressed in an organism's phenotype even if only one copy is inherited.
A dominant allele masks the effect of a recessive allele; therefore, an organism only needs to inherit one copy to display the associated phenotype.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the definition of allele dominance in genetics.
Dominance refers to an allele that masks the phenotypic contribution of a paired recessive allele.
Understanding how alleles interact in heterozygous pairs allows for the prediction of physical traits.
2
Determine the minimum number of dominant alleles needed for phenotypic expression.
Only one copy of a dominant allele is required to display the dominant phenotype.
Because the dominant allele masks the recessive allele, an organism with either one or two dominant alleles will display the trait.

Key Concept

Dominant Alleles and Phenotypic Expression
Estimated Time:40s
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