Here's a breakdown:
* Gene: A segment of DNA that codes for a specific protein, which in turn determines a particular trait.
* Allele: An alternative form of a gene. For example, the gene for eye color has alleles for blue, brown, green, etc.
* Trait: A characteristic of an organism, such as eye color, height, or hair color.
Each individual inherits two alleles for each gene, one from each parent. These alleles can be the same (homozygous) or different (heterozygous), and the combination of alleles determines the individual's phenotype (observable trait).
