What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?
The science of genetic deals with genotype and phenotype. These terms are used at the same time to describe an organism and the close similarities are what confuse many students a lot when preparing for the exams.
The article provides detailed insight into the difference between genotype and phenotype with a comparison chart. Besides that, we have highlighted the difference between genotype and phenotype in points for easier understanding.
What is Genotype?
Genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an organism. It comprises of a set of genes in DNA which bring about different traits in the living organisms. Genotypes are used to tell the type of genes responsible for a particular trait.
Genes are transmitted from parents to offspring and they require biological testing to be determined. The makeup of an allele of a gene can either be dominant or recessive where the dominant allele shows the trait to be expressed.
What Is Phenotype?
Phenotype refers to the visible characteristics of an organism such as color, height, behavior, and development. Major factors that influence phenotype are genotypes, random variations, and environmental factors.
Therefore, two organisms like twins with similar genotypes may express different phenotypes. Phenotypes comprise traits that can be measured such as levels of blood cells, hormones, and structures such as RNA. It can also comprise of morphology.
Comparison Chart: Genotype vs Phenotype
| Basic Terms | Genotype | Phenotype |
| Meaning | Refers to the genetic makeup of an organisms | Refer to the visible characteristics or morphology of an organism |
| Determined by | Transmission from parents to offspring | By genotype, random variation and environmental influence on genotype |
| Inheritance | Inherited by offspring when a cross between two alleles occur | No inheritance |
| Examples | Different genes responsible for blue eyes, dark hair, fair complexion, etc. | Eye color, hair color, skin color, behavior, etc. |
| Change | Tend to remain the same throughout the life of an organism | Prone to changes due to time |
| Studied through | Testing like genotyping or by studying ancestors, mating, and offspring | Direct observation |
| Influenced by | Not influenced by phenotype | Influenced by genotype |
| Environment | Not affected by environmental change | Tend to be affected by environmental change |
| It appears | Inside the body | Outside the body |
| Contains | All the hereditary information of an individual | Expressed genes only. |
Core Differences between Genotype and Phenotype
- Genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an organism whereas phenotype refers to the visible characteristics or morphology of an organism
- Genotype comprise of transmitted genes from parents to offspring whereas phenotype is determined by genotype, environmental influence of genotype, and random variation
- The phenotype cannot be inherited whereas genotype can partly be inherited by the offspring
- Phenotype changes with time whereas genotype tend to remain the same throughout the life of an individual
- The phenotype can be determined through direct observation whereas genotype through scientific methods and testing
- Phenotype is influenced by genotype whereas genotype is not influenced by phenotype
- The genotype is not influenced by the environment whereas phenotype is influenced by the environment
- Genotype occur inside the body while phenotype occur outside the body
- Examples of the phenotype are eye color, hair color, skin color, behavior, etc. while that of genotype are different traits like blue eyes, dark hair, fair complexion, etc.
Comparison Video
Summary
The core difference between genotype and phenotype is that genotype is the genetic makeup of an individual and they tend to appear inside the body whereas phenotype is the visible characteristics and morphology of an individual where they tend to appear on the outside of the body.