What is a trait of an organism that can be masked by the dominant form of a trait called?

A trait of an organism that can be masked by the dominant form of a trait is referred to as a recessive trait. In genetics, traits are expressed through alleles, which are different forms of a gene. When an organism has both a dominant allele and a recessive allele for a particular trait, the dominant allele typically determines the organism's phenotype, or observable characteristics, while the recessive allele's effects are not expressed unless the organism has two copies of that recessive allele (homozygous recessive condition).

This concept is fundamental in understanding Mendelian genetics, where dominant alleles can overshadow the presence of recessive alleles in heterozygous individuals. For example, if the trait for flower color in a plant is controlled by one gene with two alleles—one for purple flowers (dominant) and one for white flowers (recessive)—a plant with one purple flower allele and one white flower allele will exhibit purple flowers. Only if the plant has two white flower alleles will it display the white flower trait.

The other terms mentioned relate to different genetic concepts. Homozygous refers to having two identical alleles for a particular gene, while phenotype refers to the observable characteristics of an organism. Genotype represents the