answer the question
An organism’s genotype is
Answers:
A) an allele that is expressed whenever it is present.
B) an observable trait.
C) a trait that is expressed in a homozygous individual.
D) the set of alleles an organism has for a trait.
D) the set of alleles an organism has for a trait.
The answer to the question is option D) the set of alleles an organism has for a trait.
The correct answer is D) the set of alleles an organism has for a trait.
To arrive at this answer, we can analyze the options provided:
A) an allele that is expressed whenever it is present: This option is incorrect because genotype refers to the combination of alleles an organism has for a trait, not just a single allele being expressed.
B) an observable trait: This option is incorrect because genotype is not a directly observable trait. Genotype affects the phenotype, which is the observable trait.
C) a trait that is expressed in a homozygous individual: This option is incorrect because genotype does not necessarily mean a trait is expressed in a homozygous individual. Genotype can refer to the combination of alleles, regardless of whether they are homozygous or heterozygous.
D) the set of alleles an organism has for a trait: This option is correct. Genotype refers to the specific combination of alleles an organism possesses for a particular trait. It includes both the alleles expressed as well as those that may not be expressed in the phenotype.
ok thanks but please explain
Certainly!
An organism's genotype refers to the specific combination of alleles it has for a particular trait. Alleles are different forms of a gene that can affect how a trait is expressed. For example, let's consider the trait for eye color. There can be different alleles for eye color, such as blue, brown, or green. An organism's genotype for eye color would refer to the specific combination of alleles it has for that trait, for example, it could be homozygous (having two of the same alleles, such as BB for brown eyes) or heterozygous (having two different alleles, such as Bb for one brown and one green allele).
Genotype is important because it influences the phenotype, which is the observable trait. For example, an organism with the genotype BB would have the phenotype of brown eyes, while an organism with the genotype Bb would also have brown eyes, but could potentially pass on the green allele to its offspring.
So, in summary, an organism's genotype represents the set of alleles it has for a trait, and it can include both homozygous and heterozygous combinations of alleles.