DOMINANT AND RECESSIVE ALLELES-EXAMPLE EXPLANATION

With respect to eye color, the allele for brown eyes (B) is dominant, and the allele for blue eyes
(b) is recessive. If a person receives dominant alleles from both parents (BB) she will have
brown eyes. If she receives a dominant allele from one parent and a recessive gene from the
other (Bb) she will also have brown eyes. But if she receives recessive alleles from both parents
(bb), she will have blue eyes.

Thus, in the case of Bb (dominant and recessive), brown (B) dominates and determines the eye
color. This genetic material, which determines traits (the phenotype) is called the genotype. The
genotype is considered homozygous when an individual has either two dominant alleles or two
recessive alleles. The genotype is considered heterozygous when an individual has one dominant
allele and one recessive allele. Note that genetic inheritance is complex and cannot always be
explained in this simple manner — some people have green eyes, for example, and or one blue
eye and one brown eye (heterochromia iridum).

Immediately below is a Punnett square, a table that demonstrates the probability of inheriting a
certain trait, which in this case is eye color. The allele for brown eyes is upper case B and for
blue eyes is lower case b.
MOTHER (Bb)
Brown (B) Blue (b)
FATHER (Bb) Brown (B) BB Bb
FATHER (Bb) Blue (b) Bb bb

Notice from the table above that both parents have brown eyes, but they also both have recessive
alleles that they might pass on to a child. In such a scenario where both parents carry a dominant
and recessive allele, there is a 75% chance the child will have brown eyes (BB or Bb) and a 25%
chance he or she will have blue eyes (bb). 3 of the 4 scenarios modeled in the Punnett square
show at least one B allele.

The last scenario (bb) shows how it is possible for the offspring to inherit recessive alleles from
both parents, and thereby display a recessive phenotype even though neither of its parents does.
If one of the parents is BB, it is impossible for the child to have blue eyes. If one parent is BB
and one is Bb, there is a 50% chance of having a BB child and a 50% chance of having a Bb
child, but all children this couple produces will have brown eyes.