How is "homozygous" defined in genetic terms?

Homozygous refers specifically to an organism that has two identical alleles for a particular trait. This means that for a given gene, both copies inherited from each parent (one from the mother and one from the father) are the same.

In genetics, alleles are different versions of a gene that can produce variations in traits. When an organism is homozygous for a trait, it can express that trait uniformly because both alleles contribute the same information. For example, if a plant is homozygous for a gene that influences flower color, both alleles may code for red color, resulting in the plant producing only red flowers.

Understanding homozygosity is critical in fields like genetics and breeding, as it informs how traits might be passed on to the next generation and how they can be expressed within a population.