What term describes the expressed characteristics of an organism?

The term that describes the expressed characteristics of an organism is referred to as the phenotype. This encompasses all observable traits of an organism, including physical appearance, behavior, and biochemical properties. The phenotype results from the interaction of the organism's genetic makeup, or genotype, with environmental influences.

In this context, while the genotype refers specifically to the genetic constitution, including both dominant and recessive alleles, it does not directly describe the observable traits. Dominant and recessive genes pertain to how specific traits are inherited but do not encompass the broad range of characteristics that make up the phenotype. These terms (dominant and recessive) focus on the expression of single traits in certain genetic contexts rather than the overall expression of traits across an entire organism.

By identifying the correct term as phenotype, you express an understanding of how genetic factors interact with environmental variables to produce the observable traits in an organism.