What Are Alleles?

Alleles are like different versions of a gene. They are really important when we try to figure out how genes are passed on from parents to their kids.

Why Are Alleles Important?

1. Genetic Variety: Alleles help create different traits. For example, they can make flowers purple or white.

2. Punnett Squares: This is a simple chart we use to predict what traits the kids will have. Here’s a quick example:

   • Parent Genes: $Aa \times Aa$ (where A means the dominant trait and a means the recessive trait).
   • Possible Kids: $AA$, $Aa$, $Aa$, $aa$.

What Do the Numbers Mean?

• Phenotypic Ratio: This shows how many times we might see a certain color. For instance, we could get 3 purple flowers for every 1 white flower.

• Genotypic Ratio: This tells us the makeup of the genes. We might get 1 with two dominant genes, 2 with one dominant and one recessive gene, and 1 with two recessive genes. That’s 1:2:1.

When we understand alleles, we can better guess what traits might appear in different plants or animals!