How is a heterozygous genotype characterized?

A heterozygous genotype is characterized by the presence of two different alleles for a specific gene. This means that an individual has inherited one allele from each parent that are not identical; for instance, one may be a dominant allele while the other is a recessive allele or they could be two different alleles where neither is dominant.

These variations can play a significant role in the expression of traits, as the dominant allele can mask the effect of the recessive allele in a heterozygous pairing. Thus, understanding the composition of heterozygous genotypes is fundamental to genetics, as it impacts phenotypic expression and contributes to the genetic diversity within a population.

In contrast, genotypes that consist of two identical alleles (homozygous) do not exhibit this diversity and do not characterize a heterozygous state. Similarly, a complete recessive condition would not describe a heterozygous genotype because it lacks the presence of a dominant allele that can influence expression. A heterozygous condition represents a crucial aspect of genetic variation and inheritance patterns.