Alternate forms of a gene are known as

🔑 Key Points
→ An allele is an alternative form of the same gene.
→ It is a slightly different DNA sequence present at the same locus (position on chromosome) on the homologous chromosomes.
→ The gene variants still code for the same trait (e.g., hair color), but they differ in how the trait is expressed (i.e., brown, black, red, blonde hair).
→ There are many variations of the same gene called alleles.
→ Different individuals can have a different set of alleles but they will have the same location on the chromosome.
→ Alleles are located on the same locus on homologous chromosomes.

🛑 Additional Information
→ Tautomers: These are structural isomers of chemical compounds that are readily interconvertible. They are interchangeable forms because chemical bonds are rearranged many times. The chemical reaction interconverting two tautomers is called tautomerization. Tautomers have different functional groups, so they have different physical & chemical properties.
→ Isomers: They are compounds that contain exactly the same number of atoms, i.e., they have exactly the same empirical formula. They differ from each other by the way in which the atoms are arranged. Isomers do not necessarily share similar chemical or physical properties.
→ Polyploidy: It is the heritable condition of possessing more than two complete sets of chromosomes. Polyploids are common among plants, as well as among certain groups of fish and amphibians. Polyploids arise when a rare mitotic or meiotic malfunction (nondisjunction) causes the formation of gametes that have a complete set of duplicate chromosomes.