Explanation

An allele is a different version of the same gene. Genes come in pairs, and each parent gives one allele to their child. These different versions of a gene control traits like eye color or blood type.

For example, the gene for eye color has different alleles for brown, blue, or green eyes. You inherit one allele from your mother and one from your father. The combination determines which version of the trait you will show.

Dominant and recessive describe how alleles behave, not what they are called. Alternate type is not the scientific term used in genetics. Scientists always use the word allele to describe different forms of the same gene.