Question

When looking at an electrophoresis result for a single STR, how can we tell if the elephant was homozygous or heterozygous for that allele?

Answer 1

In gel electrophoresis, the number and size of DNA fragments can indicate if an individual is homozygous or heterozygous for a specific allele.

Step-by-step explanation:

In gel electrophoresis, the number and size of DNA fragments can be used to determine if an individual is homozygous or heterozygous for a specific allele. In the case of a single STR, if the electrophoresis result shows three DNA fragments, with sizes that match the normal gene (88, 256, and 382 base pairs), the elephant is homozygous for that allele. However, if there are five DNA fragments, including an additional fragment (such as 201 base pairs) not seen in the normal gene, the elephant is heterozygous for that allele.