Genotype–phenotype map

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/genotype-phenotype-map

1. What is the conceptual model originator?
2. What is the interdisciplinary relevance?
3. Why do some different genes give the same trait?
4. How can the same gene make a person look different in different environments?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the conceptual model originator?Pere Alberch, 1991
2. What is the interdisciplinary relevance?Crucial for evolutionary biology, developmental biology, genetics, medicine, and agriculture
3. Why do some different genes give the same trait?Because many different sets of genes can produce the same trait, so different genotypes can lead to similar phenotypes.
4. How can the same gene make a person look different in different environments?When the environment changes, the same gene can cause different traits, a phenomenon called phenotypic plasticity.

Genotype–phenotype map: A conceptual model illustrating the relationship between an organism's genetic makeup and its observable traits.
Genetic Architecture: The underlying genetic basis and organization that determines an organism's traits and characteristics.
Phenotypic Plasticity: The ability of a single genotype to produce different phenotypes in response to environmental variations.