What is phenotype and how many types are there?

What is phenotype?

The phenotype can be defined as the expression in the form of visible traits of the characteristics that are present in the genes (1), according to the characteristics of the sequence and structure of the DNA of each individual. (2)

These characteristics include physical, physiological, biological and even behavioral(behavioral genetics) traits that are present in each human being and are their own, that is, these traits are different in each species, even within the same species, except in exceptional cases.

In principle and as mentioned, phenotypes arise from the genetic inheritance of ancestors, however, the environment also plays an important rolein shaping the traits of the individual and whose influence can adapt and evolve thegeneticmaterial to manifest in the following generations.

Note: The phenotype, unlike thegenotype, refers to theexternal characteristics of each personsuch as color or type of eyes, hair or skin, height, among others.

How many types of phenotype are there?

Science, especially biology, has classified the types of phenotypeas follows:

1. Dominant

The dominant phenotype is one that manifests in the offspringone or more outstanding characteristics of the ascendants, either the father or the mother.

To highlight: This happens because in the crossing of genes, at least one of the genes of the pair contains an allele with a dominant characteristic , for example the color of dark skin is characteristic of a dominant gene against the color of light skin. (3)

2. Recessive

The recessive phenotype occurs when a weak trait or recessive characteristic is manifested in the offspring. For this to occur, both alleles of the offspring that come from the father and the mother are recessive. (4)

You should know:This is how it happens, for example, when the trait of the blue color of the eyes of a descendant arises in a population, whose predominance is black eyes. In this case,two recessive alleles were combined showing the recessive characteristic of the parents.

What are the factors that affect the phenotype?

Below we describe the factors that affect the manifestation of phenotype traits:

1. Environmental and nutritional factors

Environmental factors such as climate, solar radiation, environmental pollution , gases and vapors in the environment, definitely affect the phenotype of individuals, since these adaptations are acquired by the genes and become part of the genotype for the inheritance of the new generations. (5)

Likewise, Nutritional habits also affectthe phenotype of people. If, for example, a population has a deficiency of folic acid in the diet, surelythis will affect the structuring and coding of DNA , affecting the genotype of the genetic material and with it the phenotype of the offspring. (6)

Note: The deficiency of vitamins and minerals in the daily diet can lead to the appearance of some types of mutations or genetic alterations.

2. Genetic factors

which is transmitted to the zygote (cell from which the embryos depart).

To highlight: There is also the possibility that the phenotype is affected during the transformation process from the zygote to the embryonic form.

This occurs in both cases, because the father or mother have been continuously exposed to polluting elements , substances that are harmful to health or aggressive agents such as solar radiation.

How to know what my phenotype is?

To know what the phenotype of each person is, it is enough to perform a recognition of the visible features present in the individual physiognomy of each individual and to find out if that phenotype comes from your ancestry, compare your observable features with theirs.

You should know: If most of your traits coincide with those of your parents, your grandparents or siblings, you can infer that you have a dominant phenotype and otherwise you will have a recessive phenotype.

Key Findings

• The phenotype constitutes the expression in the form of visible traits , of the characteristics that are present in the genes.
• The phenotype includes the physical, physiological, biological and even behavioral traits of the individual.
• The phenotype manifests the external characteristics of each person such as the color or type of eyes, hair or skin, height, among others.
• Environmental, nutritional and genetic factors intervene in the construction of the phenotype .