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Difficulty: EasyBasic Genetics Terminology and Concepts

In genetics, an organism's traits are determined by its underlying genetic composition as well as its interaction with the environment. Which term specifically describes the observable physical, physiological, or behavioral characteristics of an organism?

  1. PhenotypeAnswer
  2. B
    Genotype
  3. C
    Karyotype
  4. D
    Allele

Answer

The observable physical and physiological characteristics of an organism are referred to as its phenotype.
The term phenotype describes all observable characteristics of an organism, such as morphology, development, biochemical properties, and behavior, which are produced by the interaction of its genotype with the environment.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the core biological concept requested by the question stem
The stem asks for the term that denotes the expressed physical or functional traits of an organism.
Genetics distinguishes between the underlying genetic sequence/alleles and the outward physical manifestation.
2
Differentiate between genotype and phenotype
Genotype represents the internal hereditary information (alleles), whereas phenotype represents the observable external attributes (e.g., height, flower color).
Selecting the correct term requires distinguishing the genetic code from its expression.

Key Concept

Phenotype vs Genotype
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Basic Genetics Terminology and Concepts

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