The genotype of an organism refers to its genetic makeup, or the specific combination of alleles (versions of a gene) that an individual possesses. The phenotype, on the other hand, is the observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, which are determined by both genetic and environmental factors.
A dominant allele is a version of a gene that will be expressed, or seen in the phenotype, even if only one copy is present. This means that if an individual has one dominant and one recessive allele for a particular gene, the dominant allele will be the one that is expressed.
A Punnett square is a tool used to predict the possible genotypes and phenotypes of offspring from a genetic cross between two individuals. It is a grid with the genotypes of the parents listed along the top and side, and the potential offspring genotypes displayed in the cells within the grid.
A mutation is a change in the DNA sequence of a gene. This can occur spontaneously or be caused by environmental factors, and can result in a change in the protein that is produced. Some mutations can have no effect on an organism, while others can have significant impacts on its phenotype.
Genetic inheritance is the process by which traits are passed down from one generation to the next. This occurs through the transmission of DNA from parent to offspring during reproduction. The specific pattern of inheritance, such as dominant/recessive or codominance, is determined by the types of alleles present for a particular gene.