The genetic makeup of an organism is called its what while the physical traits of an organism are called its what?

The genetic makeup of an organism is called its genotype, while the physical traits of an organism are referred to as its phenotype.

Genotype is the term used to describe the genetic constitution of an organism. This includes all the genes that an individual carries, whether they are expressed or not. For example, if we consider a trait like flower color in pea plants, the genotype would describe whether the plant has the genes for purple or white flowers.

On the other hand, phenotype refers to the observable characteristics or traits of an organism that result from the interaction of its genotype with the environment. Continuing with the pea plants example, the phenotype would refer to the actual color of the flowers, which can be purple or white, depending on the genotype and environmental factors influencing expression of those traits.

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