The genome, the environment and phenotype
I can describe simply how an organism’s genome and its environment influence its characteristics.
The genome, the environment and phenotype
I can describe simply how an organism’s genome and its environment influence its characteristics.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The genome stores instructions that are used by cells to make structural and functional proteins (including enzymes).
- The proteins that are made are used to build other structures and control chemical reactions.
- The characteristics of an organism are called the phenotype.
- Some characteristics in an organism’s phenotype are determined only by its genome (e.g. eye colour).
- Most characteristics in the phenotype are influenced by the organism's genome and interaction with its environment.
Keywords
Genome - A genome is all of the DNA of an organism.
Gene - A gene is a section of DNA that holds the genetic code for a protein.
Protein - A protein a chemical substance whose structure is coded for by the genetic code in genes.
Phenotype - The phenotype is the physical characteristics of an organism.
Enzyme - An enzyme is a functional protein that acts as a biological catalyst to speed up chemical reactions.
Common misconception
That all features encoded in the genome are visible in the phenotype.
Give examples of structural and functional proteins that are not visible in an organism's phenotype.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
a functional protein that speeds up chemical reactions
the physical characteristic of an organism
can be structural or functional; has a structure coded for by a gene
