Practice question

Restriction fragment length polymorphism detects variation in restriction enzyme recognition sites through hybridization of digested genomic DNA. Since both parental alleles produce distinct fragment sizes, heterozygous individuals display a combined banding pattern of both alleles, while homozygous individuals show a single pattern. This codominant behavior permits genotype discrimination. Dominant systems like RAPD, ISSR and AFLP cannot differentiate heterozygotes because amplification depends solely on primer binding and yields a binary present or absent phenotype, masking allelic dosage essential for population genetics.