What is the Difference Between Codominance and Multiple Alleles?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between codominance and multiple alleles lies in the way alleles are expressed and the number of alleles involved in a particular trait.
Codominance:
- Codominance occurs when both alleles of a gene are simultaneously expressed in the heterozygote.
- Both alleles are fully dominant to each other, meaning neither allele is recessive.
- An example of codominance is the MN blood groups in humans, where an individual's MN blood type is determined by their alleles of a certain gene.
Multiple Alleles:
- Multiple alleles refer to the presence of three or more distinct alleles for a single trait.
- At the population level, there can be many different alleles for a given gene.
- Individuals can only have two alleles, but different individuals may have different pairs of alleles.
- An example of multiple alleles is coat color in rabbits, where there are four common alleles that can lead to different coat colors and patterns.
In summary, codominance is a specific type of dominance pattern where both alleles are fully expressed, while multiple alleles refer to the presence of three or more distinct alleles for the same trait in a population.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Codominance and Multiple Alleles? Comparative Table: Codominance vs Multiple Alleles
Comparative Table: Codominance vs Multiple Alleles
Codominance and multiple alleles are two different genetic concepts. Here's a table summarizing the differences between them:
| Feature | Codominance | Multiple Alleles |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Codominance occurs when both alleles of a gene are simultaneously expressed in the heterozygote. | Multiple alleles refer to the presence of three or more alleles for a single gene within a population. |
| Expression | Both alleles are expressed, and neither is dominant or recessive over the other. | Different individuals in the population may have different pairs of these alleles. |
| Blood Group Example | The MN blood groups in humans exhibit codominance, where both alleles for M and N markers are expressed on the surface of red blood cells. | The ABO blood group system in humans is an example of multiple alleles, where there are three common alleles that determine blood type. |
| Phenotype | The phenotype is a combination of both alleles' expressions. | The phenotype is determined by the interaction of multiple alleles. |
In summary, codominance refers to the simultaneous expression of both alleles in the heterozygote, while multiple alleles refer to the presence of three or more alleles for a single gene within a population.
Read more:
- Dominance vs Codominance
- Dominant vs Recessive Alleles
- Codominance vs Incomplete Dominance
- Multiple Alleles vs Lethal Alleles
- Multiple Alleles vs Polygenic Traits
- Allele vs Genotype
- Dominant vs Recessive
- Gene vs Allele
- Allele vs Trait
- Homozygous vs Heterozygous
- Compound Heterozygote vs Double Heterozygote
- Allelic vs Non allelic Gene
- Dominance vs Epistasis
- Allele vs Locus
- Allelic vs Locus Heterogeneity
- Homozygous vs Hemizygous
- Dominant vs Recessive Epistasis
- X Linked Dominant vs X Linked Recessive
- Genetic Code vs Codon