Karyotype

An individuals categorized set of chromosomes. A typical human has a karyotype of 46 chromosomes. Often, we simplify karyotype to signify the sex chromosomes, since those differ between typical individuals (i.e. between sexes). The most common karyotypes are therefore XY and XX. Because the genes for the L-opsin and M-opsin are on the X chromosome, this karyotype can have a large effect on the expression of those genes, which is why males are much more likely to be colorblind than females.