CLASS 10 · LEARNING KNOWLEDGE

Genotype, phenotype and inheritance patterns – basic principles

How it works

The genotype is the genetic makeup of an organism, while the phenotype describes the observable traits. The expression of the phenotype is influenced by the genotype and environmental factors. Inheritance patterns describe how genes or alleles are passed on during reproduction. In simple dominant-recessive inheritance patterns, a dominant allele is expressed in the phenotype in the heterozygous state, while a recessive trait occurs only with two recessive alleles. Homozygous means that both alleles of a gene are the same, heterozygous that they are different. Mendel’s laws describe typical inheritance patterns in such simple inheritance patterns.

Note
The genotype, together with environmental factors, determines the phenotype. In a simple dominant-recessive inheritance pattern, one dominant allele is enough for the expression of the dominant trait, while a recessive trait occurs only when both alleles are recessive.

An example

Which statement best describes the difference between genotype and phenotype?

The genotype is the genetic information, the phenotype is the observable trait. Example: A plant with genotype Aa (A = dominant, a = recessive) shows the dominant trait in the phenotype, even though it carries a recessive allele.

Try it yourself now

50 Exercises · three difficulty levels · selection and number input

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Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: KMK Educational Standards Mathematics ESA/MSA. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.