Principle of Dominance
Mendel’s second conclusion, which states that some alleles are dominant and others are recessive
The principle of dominance is a fundamental concept in genetics that states that when two different alleles are present in a gene, one allele will be expressed over the other. This means that the dominant allele will manifest its phenotype in the organism, while the recessive allele will be masked.
For example, if a plant has one gene for purple flowers (P) and another gene for white flowers (p), the dominant allele (P) will be expressed, and the plant will have purple flowers. The recessive allele (p) will not be visible in the plant’s phenotype.
This principle is based on the fact that dominant alleles produce a specific protein or enzyme that is necessary for the expression of a particular trait, while recessive alleles do not produce that protein or enzyme. Therefore, dominant alleles mask the expression of recessive alleles.
The principle of dominance has important implications for understanding how genetic traits are inherited and how they are expressed in individuals. It helps scientists understand the patterns of inheritance that occur in families and populations, and it plays a crucial role in the development of genetic technologies and therapies.
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