What is the term for different forms of a gene?

The term for different forms of a gene is alleles. Alleles are variations of a gene that can result in different traits or characteristics. For example, a gene determining flower color in plants may have one allele for red flowers and another for white flowers. Each individual carries two alleles for each gene—one inherited from each parent.

In contrast, chromosomes refer to the structures within cells that contain the genetic material. Loci are the specific physical locations of genes on chromosomes, and genotypes are the genetic makeup of an organism concerning a particular trait or traits as determined by the alleles present. Understanding the concept of alleles is fundamental in genetics and helps explain the diversity observed in traits among individuals.