Genotypes and Phenotypes

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    Natural selection acts on an organism's phenotype rather than its genotype. A phenotype is an organism's observable traits, such as color, size, height, behavior, and more. The genotype, on the other hand, is the specific alleles that make up an organism. The phenotype acts directly with the environment, resulting in natural selection acting on it, passing favorable phenotypes, and thus their genotypes, on to the next generation. 

    In a population of bears, white bears have an easier time surviving in their environments, and they have a higher success rate in mating. While the phenotype of white fur is what is being acted on by natural selection, the genotype encoding this observable trait is what is being passed on to future generations. 





Comments

  1. Kalissa MoseleyOctober 13, 2024 at 1:53 PM

    This is very clearly explained and displays all the necessary information in a concise manner. I really like how you say "passing favorable phenotypes, and thus their genotypes" explaining the natural progression of the two. Also, the bears are a very cute visual for this! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mike J.October 13, 2024 at 11:18 PM

    It's an interesting case that the recessive trait is the more successful one! I wonder if that's common in nature somewhere. Good work!

    ReplyDelete

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