Recessive Trait

Real World Example

Imagine you're trying to make a decision with a group of friends about where to eat, but there's always that one friend whose opinion tends to dominate the conversation, overshadowing quieter suggestions. In a similar way, a recessive trait in genetics is like the quieter suggestion that gets overshadowed by the dominant allele's "louder" influence. Just as your friend's dominant opinion masks quieter ones, a dominant allele masks the presence of a recessive trait, meaning the recessive trait will only visibly express itself if paired with another like it, just as quieter opinions might only prevail if the louder friend agrees to stay silent.