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Commonly confused

Incomplete dominance vs codominance

Both break the simple dominant-recessive rule. The only difference is this: does the in-between form mix the two, or show both at once?

Incomplete dominance

Red flower × white flower gives pink. Pink is not a new gene. It is red and white mixing. Cross two pinks and red and white come back (1 : 2 : 1). The mix is the clue.

Codominance

Blood group AB. The A marker and the B marker both sit on the red cells, fully, side by side. Nothing mixes into a middle form. You see both, clearly.

The trap

Students swap these because both give a 1 : 2 : 1 ratio and both break simple dominance. One question decides it: is the middle form a mix, or both traits together? Pink is a mix, so incomplete dominance. AB shows both, so codominance.

Quick check

RR is red, rr is white, and Rr is pink. This is:

  • ACodominance
  • BIncomplete dominance
  • CComplete dominance
  • DA test cross