What do we call alternate forms of a gene?

Alternate forms of a gene are known as alleles. Each gene resides at a specific location on a chromosome, and for many genes, there can be multiple variations, or alleles, that can exist within a population. Alleles contribute to the genetic diversity observed in traits among individuals. For example, a gene that determines flower color in a plant might have one allele for red flowers and another allele for white flowers.

The concept of alleles is central in genetics as they help to explain how traits are inherited from one generation to the next. When individuals have two different alleles for a particular gene, they are said to be heterozygous for that gene, while having two identical alleles makes them homozygous. This variation plays a crucial role in how traits manifest, and understanding alleles is fundamental in studies of genetics, inheritance patterns, and Mendelian principles.

In contrast, chromosomes are structures within cells that contain DNA and genes; genotypes refer to the genetic makeup of an individual (the combination of alleles they possess), while phenotypes represent the observable characteristics or traits of an individual that result from the interaction of their genotype with the environment. Thus, alleles are specifically the different versions of a gene that contribute to these