What is a genotype?

A genotype is the genetic makeup of an organism, which includes all the genes and alleles that an individual possesses. It is the complete set of genes that determine specific traits and characteristics of an organism. The genotype is inherited from the organism's parents and plays a crucial role in determining the phenotype, or the physical and observable characteristics of an organism.

A genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an individual or organism, including the specific combination of alleles present for each gene. Alleles are alternative forms of a gene that can occupy a particular locus on a chromosome. The genotype is determined by the inheritance of alleles from the parents during sexual reproduction. It provides the genetic blueprint for an individual's traits and characteristics. Genotypes are often represented using letters to indicate the specific alleles present for a given gene. For example, in the case of flower color in pea plants, the genotype RR represents homozygous dominant for red flowers, rr represents homozygous recessive for white flowers, and Rr represents heterozygous for both red and white alleles. The genotype influences the phenotype of an individual, which refers to the observable traits and characteristics that result from the expression of the genotype.