Florida Biology EOC Practice Test

A genotype specifically describes an organism's inherited genes, encompassing all the genetic information that an organism possesses for a particular trait. This can include both dominant and recessive alleles that influence how a trait is expressed. The genotype is fundamental in genetics as it is the basis for an organism's phenotype, or observable characteristics.

While having identical alleles for a trait refers to being homozygous, and having different alleles denotes being heterozygous, these concepts are subsets of what constitutes a genotype. The choice about alleles being neither dominant nor recessive highlights the complexities of gene expression but does not define genotype itself. Therefore, focusing on the term "inherited genes" provides a broader and more accurate understanding of what a genotype represents.