What is the term for the genetic makeup of an individual with respect to a specific trait?

The term for the genetic makeup of an individual with respect to a specific trait is known as the genotype. The genotype refers specifically to the alleles an individual possesses for a particular gene or genes. It encompasses the hereditary information encoded in DNA that contributes to the traits expressed in an organism.

Understanding genotype is crucial because it provides the underlying genetic basis for phenotypic traits, which are the observable characteristics or expressions of that genetic information. For instance, while a phenotype might be that an individual has blue eyes, the genotype would include the specific alleles (e.g., homozygous for a blue-eye allele or heterozygous) responsible for that trait.

In genetic discussions, the term genome refers to the complete set of genes or genetic material present in an organism, while phenotype focuses on the observable traits. Hemizygous describes an individual with only one copy of a gene or chromosome, which is different from the concept of genotype that involves considering pairs of alleles. This distinction further underscores the definition of genotype as the specific hereditary composition regarding a trait.