What does genotype mean?

What does genotype mean?

• A. Physical trait
• B. Genetic makeup
• C. Chromosome number
• D. Environment

Answer: (B)

Genotype is the genetic makeup—the specific alleles present at the genes that an organism carries from its parents. It’s the internal blueprint that sets the potential for traits, while the actual trait you observe (the phenotype) also depends on the environment. So genotype isn’t the visible trait, nor is it the number of chromosomes or anything outside the genome. For example, for a given trait an organism might have two dominant alleles, two recessive alleles, or one of each, and those combinations determine what could be expressed, with the environment helping to shape whether that potential is realized. In humans, stating the genetic makeup means describing the alleles carried, regardless of whether any symptoms are currently expressed.

Genotype is the genetic makeup—the specific alleles present at the genes that an organism carries from its parents. It’s the internal blueprint that sets the potential for traits, while the actual trait you observe (the phenotype) also depends on the environment. So genotype isn’t the visible trait, nor is it the number of chromosomes or anything outside the genome. For example, for a given trait an organism might have two dominant alleles, two recessive alleles, or one of each, and those combinations determine what could be expressed, with the environment helping to shape whether that potential is realized. In humans, stating the genetic makeup means describing the alleles carried, regardless of whether any symptoms are currently expressed.