# Genotype
> **Machine-Evolution Nexus:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] places this node within the history and governance of substrate-independent evolution.
**Domain:** Evolution / Heredity
**Doc Type:** Canonical Wiki Node
**Maturity:** Developed
## Definition
A genotype is the inherited genetic or digital description associated with an organism or lineage.
## Nexus Context
In Avida and Tierra it is an executable instruction sequence; its phenotype includes behavior produced when the sequence runs in its environment.
## Evidence Boundary
The genotype is not the whole organism or subject. Identical genotypes can yield different outcomes across environments and histories.
## Relationships
[[wiki/Genome|Genome]], [[wiki/Genotype-Phenotype Distinction|Genotype-Phenotype Distinction]], [[wiki/Digital Organism|Digital Organism]], [[wiki/Embodied Cognition|Embodied Cognition]]
## Sources / Provenance
- Johannsen’s terminology; modern genetics and digital-evolution usage.