Which term describes a trait that is masked by a dominant allele?

Which term describes a trait that is masked by a dominant allele?

• A. Recessive trait
• B. Dominant trait
• C. Phenotype
• D. Inheritance

Answer: (A)

The idea is that a dominant allele can hide the effect of a recessive allele when both are present in an organism. The trait that gets masked in this situation is the recessive trait. In a genotype with one dominant and one recessive allele, the dominant phenotype shows up, so the recessive trait isn’t visible. Only when an organism has two recessive alleles (homozygous recessive) does the recessive trait appear. This is different from the phenotype, which is just the observable trait, and from inheritance, which is about how traits are passed to offspring. So the trait described as being masked by a dominant allele is the recessive trait.

The idea is that a dominant allele can hide the effect of a recessive allele when both are present in an organism. The trait that gets masked in this situation is the recessive trait. In a genotype with one dominant and one recessive allele, the dominant phenotype shows up, so the recessive trait isn’t visible. Only when an organism has two recessive alleles (homozygous recessive) does the recessive trait appear. This is different from the phenotype, which is just the observable trait, and from inheritance, which is about how traits are passed to offspring. So the trait described as being masked by a dominant allele is the recessive trait.