Examples of Dominant and Recessive Traits

The figure below shows some examples of some characteristics that are thought to be determined by simple dominant-recessive inheritance.

Note that the word "dominant" does not imply that a characteristic is more normal or common than a recessive one. Dominance means that an allele is expressed in both homozygous dominant and heterozygous conditions. By contrast, the corresponding recessive allele is expressed only when homozygous.

 

 

		Man with attached earlobe (left) and man with free earlobe (right).
		Woman with widow's peak (left) and woman with no widow's peak (right).
		Fruit fly with red eyes (left) and fruit fly with white eyes (right).
Relating Topics - Examples of Human Characteristics