Genotype:
* Refers to the genetic makeup of an organism.
* It's the specific combination of alleles (versions of a gene) an individual possesses.
* For example, a person's genotype for eye color might be "Bb", indicating they have one brown-eye allele (B) and one blue-eye allele (b).
* Genotype is not directly visible.
Phenotype:
* Refers to the observable characteristics of an organism.
* It's the physical expression of the genotype, influenced by both genes and the environment.
* For example, a person with the "Bb" genotype for eye color might have brown eyes (phenotype) because the brown allele is dominant.
* Phenotype is what we can see and observe.
In simpler terms:
* Genotype is like the instruction manual for building an organism.
* Phenotype is the actual built organism based on those instructions.
Example:
* Genotype: A plant has the genotype "TT" for flower color, meaning it has two dominant alleles for tall stems.
* Phenotype: The plant has tall stems (the observable characteristic).
Key takeaways:
* Genotype determines phenotype, but the environment can also influence the expression of traits.
* The same genotype can sometimes lead to different phenotypes depending on environmental factors.
* We can often infer genotype based on phenotype, but this is not always accurate.
