What is the process called by which you can determine the specific genetic makeup of an animal?

What is the process called by which you can determine the specific genetic makeup of an animal?

• A. Phenotyping
• B. Genotyping
• C. Outbreeding
• D. Recombination

Answer: (B)

Genotyping is the process of determining the animal’s exact genetic makeup by analyzing its DNA to identify which alleles are present at specific genes or markers. This goes beyond what can be seen or measured in the animal’s appearance, since the genotype is the actual genetic sequence or variant set carried by the individual. Techniques like DNA sequencing, PCR-based assays, or SNP genotyping arrays are common ways to determine these genetic differences. This contrasts with phenotyping, which focuses on observable traits such as coat color, size, or behavior—traits that result from how genes are expressed and interact with the environment, not the exact DNA sequence itself. Outbreeding refers to mating across more diverse individuals to increase variation, and recombination is the natural process that shuffles genetic material during meiosis. Neither describes testing or identifying the animal’s specific genotype.

Genotyping is the process of determining the animal’s exact genetic makeup by analyzing its DNA to identify which alleles are present at specific genes or markers. This goes beyond what can be seen or measured in the animal’s appearance, since the genotype is the actual genetic sequence or variant set carried by the individual. Techniques like DNA sequencing, PCR-based assays, or SNP genotyping arrays are common ways to determine these genetic differences.

This contrasts with phenotyping, which focuses on observable traits such as coat color, size, or behavior—traits that result from how genes are expressed and interact with the environment, not the exact DNA sequence itself. Outbreeding refers to mating across more diverse individuals to increase variation, and recombination is the natural process that shuffles genetic material during meiosis. Neither describes testing or identifying the animal’s specific genotype.