Which term refers to the observable traits and characteristics of an organism?

The term that refers to the observable traits and characteristics of an organism is phenotype. The phenotype encompasses everything from physical attributes, such as height, eye color, and flower color in plants, to behavioral traits that can be seen or measured. It results from the interaction of the organism's genotype, which is the genetic makeup, with environmental influences. This means that while the genotype provides the potential for certain traits, it is the phenotype that is expressed and can be observed in the organism.

In contrast, genotype refers specifically to the genetic information that codes for those traits, alleles are the different forms of a gene that can exist (essentially variations that can affect the phenotype), and homozygous describes a specific genetic condition where an individual has identical alleles for a trait. Each of these terms relates to genetics but describes different aspects rather than directly reflecting the traits visible in an organism.