Composite of the organism's observable characteristics or traits

Phenotype

Phenotype

In <a href="/en/Genetics" title="Genetics" class="wl">genetics</a>, the phenotype (from <a href="/en/Ancient_Greek_language" title="Ancient Greek language" class="mw-redirect wl">Ancient Greek</a> <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/φαίνω#Ancient_Greek" title="wikt:φαίνω" class="extiw" target="_blank">φαίνω</a> (phaínō)&nbsp;'to appear, show, shine', and <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/τύπος#Ancient_Greek" title="wikt:τύπος" class="extiw" target="_blank">τύπος</a> (túpos)&nbsp;'mark, type') is the set of observable characteristics or <a href="/en/Phenotypic_trait" title="Phenotypic trait" class="wl">traits</a> of an <a href="/en/Organism" title="Organism" class="wl">organism</a>.<a href="#cite_note-Oxford_Advanced_Learners_Dictionary_at_OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a><a href="#cite_note-Understanding_Evolution-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;">[2]</a> The term covers the organism's <a href="/en/Morphology_(biology)" title="Morphology (biology)" class="wl">morphology</a> (physical form and structure), its <a href="/en/Developmental_biology" title="Developmental biology" class="wl">developmental</a> processes, its biochemical and physiological properties, its <a href="/en/Behavior" title="Behavior" class="wl">behavior</a>, and the products of behavior. An organism's phenotype results from two basic factors: the <a href="/en/Gene_expression" title="Gene expression" class="wl">expression</a> of an organism's genetic code (its <a href="/en/Genotype" title="Genotype" class="wl">genotype</a>) and the influence of environmental factors. Both factors may interact, further affecting the phenotype. When two or more clearly different phenotypes exist in the same population of a species, the species is called <a href="/en/Polymorphism_(biology)" title="Polymorphism (biology)" class="wl">polymorphic</a>. A well-documented example of polymorphism is <a href="/en/Labrador_Retriever_coat_colour_genetics" title="Labrador Retriever coat colour genetics" class="wl">Labrador Retriever coloring</a>; while the coat color depends on many genes, it is clearly seen in the environment as yellow, black, and brown. <a href="/en/Richard_Dawkins" title="Richard Dawkins" class="wl">Richard Dawkins</a> in 1978<a href="#cite_note-r1-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;">[3]</a> and then again in his 1982 book <a href="/en/The_Extended_Phenotype" title="The Extended Phenotype" class="wl">The Extended Phenotype</a> suggested that one can regard <a href="/en/Bird_nest" title="Bird nest" class="wl">bird nests</a> and other built structures such as <a href="/en/Caddisfly" title="Caddisfly" class="wl">caddisfly</a> larva cases and <a href="/en/Beaver_dam" title="Beaver dam" class="wl">beaver dams</a> as "extended phenotypes".

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Composite of the organism's observable characteristics or traits</div>
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<figure class="mw-halign-right wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Coquina_variation3.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Coquina_variation3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Coquina_variation3.jpg/250px-Coquina_variation3.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="3000" data-file-height="3000" data-file-type="bitmap" height="250" width="250" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Coquina_variation3.jpg/375px-Coquina_variation3.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Coquina_variation3.jpg/500px-Coquina_variation3.jpg 2x" alt="Coquina_variation3.jpg"></a><figcaption>The <a href="/en/Mollusc_shell" title="Mollusc shell" class="wl">shells</a> of individuals within the <a href="/en/Bivalve" title="Bivalve" class="mw-redirect wl">bivalve</a> <a href="/en/Mollusca" title="Mollusca" class="wl">mollusk</a> species <a href="/en/Donax_variabilis" title="Donax variabilis" class="wl">Donax variabilis</a> show diverse <a href="/en/Animal_coloration" title="Animal coloration" class="wl">coloration</a> and <a href="/en/Patterns_in_nature" title="Patterns in nature" class="wl">patterning</a> in their phenotypes.</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Punnett_square_mendel_flowers.svg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Punnett_square_mendel_flowers.svg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Punnett_square_mendel_flowers.svg/220px-Punnett_square_mendel_flowers.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="550" data-file-height="550" data-file-type="drawing" height="220" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Punnett_square_mendel_flowers.svg/330px-Punnett_square_mendel_flowers.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Punnett_square_mendel_flowers.svg/440px-Punnett_square_mendel_flowers.svg.png 2x" alt="Punnett_square_mendel_flowers.svg"></a><figcaption>Here the relation between <a href="/en/Genotype" title="Genotype" class="wl">genotype</a> and phenotype is illustrated, using a <a href="/en/Punnett_square" title="Punnett square" class="wl">Punnett square</a>, for the character of petal color in pea plants. The letters B and b represent <a href="/en/Gene" title="Gene" class="wl">genes</a> for color, and the pictures show the resultant phenotypes. This shows how multiple genotypes (BB and Bb) may yield the same phenotype (purple petals).</figcaption></figure>

<a href="/en/Wilhelm_Johannsen" title="Wilhelm Johannsen" class="wl">Wilhelm Johannsen</a> proposed the <a href="/en/Genotype–phenotype_distinction" title="Genotype–phenotype distinction" class="wl">genotype–phenotype distinction</a> in 1911 to make clear the difference between an organism's <a href="/en/Heredity" title="Heredity" class="wl">hereditary material</a> and what that hereditary material produces.<a href="#cite_note-4" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 4;">[4]</a><a href="#cite_note-5" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 5;">[5]</a> The distinction resembles that proposed by <a href="/en/August_Weismann" title="August Weismann" class="wl">August Weismann</a> (1834–1914), who distinguished between <a href="/en/Germ_plasm" title="Germ plasm" class="wl">germ plasm</a> (heredity) and <a href="/en/Somatic_cell" title="Somatic cell" class="wl">somatic cells</a> (the body). More recently, in <a href="/en/The_Selfish_Gene" title="The Selfish Gene" class="wl">The Selfish Gene</a> (1976), Dawkins distinguished these concepts as replicators and vehicles.

The genotype–phenotype distinction should not be confused with <a href="/en/Francis_Crick" title="Francis Crick" class="wl">Francis Crick</a>'s <a href="/en/Central_dogma_of_molecular_biology" title="Central dogma of molecular biology" class="wl">central dogma of molecular biology</a>, a statement about the directionality of molecular sequential information flowing from <a href="/en/DNA" title="DNA" class="wl">DNA</a> to <a href="/en/Protein" title="Protein" class="wl">protein</a>, and not the reverse.

In genetics, the phenotype  'to appear, show, shine', and  τύπος  'mark, type') is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. and then again in his 1982 book The Extended Phenotype suggested that one can regard bird nests and other built structures such as caddisfly larva cases and beaver dams as "extended phenotypes". Wilhelm Johannsen proposed the genotype–phenotype distinction in 1911 to make clear the difference between an organism's hereditary material and what that hereditary material produces. The distinction resembles that proposed by August Weismann , who distinguished between germ plasm and somatic cells . More recently, in The Selfish Gene , Dawkins distinguished these concepts as replicators and vehicles. The genotype–phenotype distinction should not be confused with Francis Crick's central dogma of molecular biology, a statement about the directionality of molecular sequential information flowing from DNA to protein, and not the reverse. 