Heterozygous advantage is sometimes responsible for the retention of recessive genes that would otherwise reduce fitness.

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Heterozygous advantage occurs when the heterozygous genotype has a higher fitness than both the homozygous genotypes. This can lead to the retention of recessive genes in a population, as carriers of the recessive allele have an advantage over individuals that are homozygous for the dominant allele. This is particularly important for recessive disease alleles, as carriers have a reduced risk of developing the associated disease but still carry and pass on the allele to their offspring.

Heterozygous Advantage Is Sometimes Responsible for the Retention of Recessive