A genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an organism, specifically the set of genes that it carries.
Think of your genotype as a recipe for a cake. It's the specific list of ingredients (genes) you have that will determine what kind of cake (organism) you'll end up with.
Phenotype: This is the physical expression or characteristics of that genotype. Using our cake analogy, if genotype is the recipe, then phenotype is the actual baked cake - its taste, texture and appearance.
Homozygous: This term describes when an individual has two copies of the same allele for a trait in their genotype. Like having double amount of chocolate in your cake recipe!
Heterozygous: This term describes when an individual has two different alleles for a trait in their genotype. Like having one ingredient as chocolate and another as vanilla in your cake recipe!
Study guides for the entire semester
200k practice questions
Glossary of 50k key terms - memorize important vocab
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.