What does genotype refer to?

Genotype refers specifically to the genetic makeup of an organism, which includes all the alleles it carries for a particular trait or set of traits. This encompasses both the alleles expressed (phenotype) and those that may be recessive and not visibly expressed. The genotype provides the underlying instructions for an organism's development, functioning, and hereditary traits, regardless of how these traits appear in the organism.

Understanding genotype is crucial in genetics because it helps predict how traits may be inherited in offspring, as well as offering insights into genetic variation within a population. The focus on genetic information distinguishes genotype from other concepts such as phenotype, which refers to physical characteristics, and environmental influences, which do not pertain directly to an organism's genetic coding. The concept of dominant traits is also related but is not a comprehensive definition of genotype, as it does not account for all recessive alleles present within the genetic makeup.