The concept of biotype derives from the scientific Latin biotypus, which in turn has its origin in a compound word from the Greek language: bio (which is translated as “life”) and týpos (which can be translated as “type”). The notion is used in the field of biology to name the characteristic form of a plant or an animal that is considered as a model of its race or species.
According to DigoPaul, biotypes are the typical biological forms: the characters that living beings adopted through evolution and as a mechanism of adaptation to the environment. These are structural and morphological characteristics that can be classified in different ways. If we take the case of plants, among the biotypes we can name shrubs, trees and herbs, for example.
When we talk about the human being, we find three body biotypes:
-Ectomorph. It refers to slim, tall and slightly muscular people. In the same way, it should be noted that they have a flat chest, have a weight below the average and that they do not gain fat easily. In addition, they have difficulty gaining muscle and their metabolism is very fast. They struggle to gain weight.
-Endomorph. From this second biotype we can highlight that people who have it are short, have difficulty losing weight and have a white and round body. In addition, it should not be overlooked that their metabolism is slow, that their shoulders are large and that they accumulate fat with remarkable ease. Also not to be overlooked is the fact that they have thick waists, short limbs, and their abdomens are often bulky.
-Mesomorph. Human beings who are considered to have this other biotype are identified because they have a strong body, are athletic, have broad shoulders and have the peculiarity that they gain muscle very easily but not fat. Women of this biotype have an hourglass shape while men have a V shape. Their torso is solid.
When it comes to being fit and healthy, it is necessary for people to take into account the kind of biotype they have in order to choose the sport that is most suitable for them. In order to know it, they can make use of different tests that exist on the tendencies of their body or their bone structure.
It is important not to confuse a biotype with a biotope. This last term refers to the place that offers the necessary environmental characteristics for the subsistence and development of a group of living beings. The biotype is the typical model of a species; the biotope, its living space.
In the field of psychology, the type of personality linked to a certain morphological structure of a subject is known as a biotype. In this case, the biotype covers the general characteristics of the person according to their somatic properties, based on the data that emerge from the structure of their body. The psychological characteristics of the human being, for their part, constitute their psychotype.
It should be noted that there are mixed classifications that combine biotype and psychotype to qualify people.
