What is an allele?

An allele is defined as a variant form of a gene that can lead to different traits or characteristics in an organism. In genetics, genes reside at specific locations on chromosomes and can exist in multiple forms due to mutations or variations in the DNA sequence. Each of these forms is known as an allele. For instance, a gene that determines flower color in a plant could have a red allele and a white allele. When these alleles are inherited from the parents, they combine in various ways to produce the observable traits, or phenotypes, in the offspring.

The concept of alleles is central to understanding inheritance patterns and genetic diversity. Humans typically have two alleles for each gene, one inherited from each parent, which interact in various ways that can determine the expression of certain traits. This is critical for the study of genetics, evolution, and species variation.