Question

1. dominant traits are not always more common than recessive traits. looking at data, you might conclude that the dominant traits are more common than the recessive one. but some recessive alleles can be present in a population at very high frequency. for example, natural curly hair is the dominant trait. the gene for straight hair is recessive. 2. dominant alleles are not better than recessive alleles. the term dominant allele has nothing to do with whether an allele is better. take rock pocket mice, where fur color is controlled mainly by a single gene. the gene codes for a protein that makes dark pigment. some rock pocket mice have dark fur, and some have light fur. the dark - fur allele is dominant, and the light - fur allele is recessive. when mice live in a habitat filled with dark rocks, dark fur is better because it makes the mice less visible to predators. but when mice live in a habitat filled with light rocks and sand, light fur is better. its the environment that matters, not whether the allele is dominant or recessive. exit ticket why do only some inherited genes become traits seen in the offspring?

Explanation:

In genetics, genes can be dominant or recessive. Offspring inherit two alleles (one from each parent) for a trait. If a dominant allele is present, it is often expressed (becomes the trait), while a recessive allele is only expressed if two recessive alleles are inherited (homozygous recessive). Also, some genes are not expressed due to factors like gene regulation, where environmental or cellular conditions affect which genes are "turned on" or "off". For example, dominant alleles mask recessive ones in heterozygous individuals, so only the dominant - related trait is seen. Recessive traits require both alleles to be recessive to be expressed, so if an offspring has a dominant and a recessive allele for a trait, the dominant - associated trait is visible, and the recessive - associated trait remains hidden (unless in homozygous recessive case).

Answer:

Genes can be dominant or recessive. A dominant allele is expressed (shows as a trait) if present (even with one copy, in heterozygous state), while a recessive allele is only expressed when two copies are inherited (homozygous recessive). Also, gene regulation (environmental/cellular factors) can prevent some genes from being expressed. So, only genes (alleles) that are dominant (and in heterozygous or homozygous dominant) or recessive (homozygous recessive) and not suppressed by regulation become visible traits.