3.21 polygenic inheritance

Question 1

multiple alleles

Answer 1

more than 2 possible variants at a particular gene locus

Question 2

polygenic inheritance

Answer 2

there is more than 1 gene for a single characteristic/ trait. these genes are present on more than one gene locus and they interact with each other.
when these genes interact with the environment there is more variation

Question 3

continuous variation

Answer 3

determined by multiple genes, is affected by the environment

Question 4

discontinuous variation

Answer 4

shown by features that are either present or not, is generally determined by one or at most a very few genes
not affected by the environment

Question 5

what should we do when studying continuous variation?

Answer 5

take large samples: random chance can affect the results
collect samples randomly from different areas in a population