In biology, phenotyping is the process of identifying and measuring the physical and behavioral characteristics of an organism. It takes into consideration both genetic and environmental factors.
Phenotyping occurs in many different fields, including botany, medicine, and zoology. Botanists might measure leaf shape, fruit size, or how well a crop stands up to drought. In medicine, doctors use phenotyping when recording patients' symptoms and the specific way a disease presents itself in an individual. In this way, phenotyping links observable behaviors, features, and traits to both genes and environmental influences.