Heterozygotes are carriers and have normal phenotype,Group of answer choicesautosomal recessive disorderautosomal dominant disorderNext

To address the question regarding heterozygotes and their implications in genetics, we need to understand the relationship between genotype and phenotype in different types of genetic disorders.

Understanding Heterozygotes

1. Definition of Heterozygotes: Heterozygotes possess two different alleles for a given gene (i.e., one dominant and one recessive allele).
2. Normal Phenotype: This means that individuals with a heterozygous genotype generally exhibit the phenotype associated with the dominant allele, displaying no symptoms of the disorder.

Disorder Types

1. Autosomal Recessive Disorder: In this case, a person must be homozygous recessive (having two copies of the recessive allele) to express the disease phenotype. Heterozygotes (carriers) typically do not show symptoms and have a normal phenotype.

2. Autosomal Dominant Disorder: For these disorders, only one copy of the dominant allele is required to express the disorder. Heterozygotes would show the phenotype related to the disorder, and they are not carriers without symptoms.

Conclusion

Given that heterozygotes are carriers and possess a normal phenotype, the correct answer is:

Autosomal Recessive Disorder.

Heterozygotes for an autosomal recessive disorder do not exhibit the disorder but can pass the recessive allele to their offspring, which may lead to affected individuals if both parents pass the recessive allele.