Answer:
Genes determine what traits an organism has by controlling the production of proteins that carry out various functions in the body. The specific combination of alleles an organism inherits determines which versions of these proteins are produced, and ultimately, which traits are expressed.
Step-by-step explanation:
Genes are segments of DNA that contain the instructions for building proteins. The sequence of nucleotides in a gene determines the sequence of amino acids in the protein it codes for. This sequence, in turn, determines the structure and function of the protein.
Different versions of a gene, called alleles, can exist in a population, and they can result in different traits being expressed. An organism inherits one allele of each gene from each of its parents. The combination of alleles determines the traits that will be expressed.
Some traits are controlled by a single gene, while others are influenced by multiple genes and the environment. The interaction between genes and the environment can result in a wide range of variations in traits, even among individuals with the same genetic makeup.
Overall, genes play a central role in determining an organism's traits by controlling the production of proteins that carry out various functions in the body.