Genotype, Phenotype and the Environment

Lab Brief #3

🎯 Your mission

Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.

⚡ The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

What you'll learn

The genotype is the pair of alleles an organism carries; the phenotype is the characteristic that actually appears, and the two are not the same thing. A hydrangea with one unchanged genotype flowers pink in alkaline soil and blue in acid soil. Identical twins share a genotype and still differ in height if one is better fed. Genes set the range of what is possible; the environment settles where within that range a particular individual ends up.

Key words

genotype
The combination of alleles an organism carries for a characteristic.
phenotype
The characteristic actually expressed, produced by the genotype interacting with the environment.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

cress seeds
two trays
cotton wool
water
ruler
dark box

Get ready

⚠️ Safety first

Wash your hands after handling soil or seed trays.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "genotype" and "phenotype" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Grow two sets of cress from the same seed packet, one in full light and one in near darkness, measuring height and colour daily for a week. Since the genotype is shared, write a conclusion that attributes every difference you measured to the environment.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 3

Two hydrangeas with the same genotype flower different colours because of:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

The phenotype is best described as:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

Identical twins raised with different diets show that genes set:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

Next: The Double Helix Explains How DNA Copies Itself All lessons

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”

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Genotype, Phenotype and the Environment

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