allelemic

Allelemic is a term used in genetics to describe the relationship between alleles, which are different versions of the same gene. When two alleles are allelemic, it means they occupy the same locus, or position, on homologous chromosomes. This implies that they are alternative forms of a single gene. For example, if a gene determines eye color, there might be an allele for blue eyes and another allele for brown eyes. These two alleles would be considered allelemic because they are both found at the same gene locus and control the same trait, eye color.

The concept of allelemic alleles is fundamental to understanding inheritance patterns. Organisms that are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, inherit one allele for each gene from each parent. Whether these two inherited alleles are the same or different determines the organism's genotype. If an individual has two identical alleles for a particular gene, they are homozygous for that gene. If they have two different allelemic alleles, they are heterozygous. The interaction of these allelemic alleles, along with environmental factors, ultimately influences the observable traits, known as the phenotype. The study of allelemic relationships helps explain why offspring can exhibit variations in traits even when they share the same parents.