Polygenic Inheritance Flashcards
What is an allele?
a version of a gene
what is meant by loci?
the location
what is polygenic inheritance?
When a single characteristic is controlled by multiple genes
What does polygenic inheritance give rise to?
It gives rise to continuous variation e.g. human skin colour
In polygenics, alleles can be:
Contributing (they add to the phenotype)
Non-contributing (do NOT add to the phenotype)
Explain why an individual may have a greater adult height than their biological parents.
- height is affected by the environment as well as genotype.
- height is an example of polygenic inheritance
- therefore offspring can inherit a mixture of alleles from both parents that might increase height.
- higher protein diet, calcium in diet, better healthcare.
What is the difference between continuous and discontinuous variation?
continuous is any value whereas discontinues data is a set value.
What is meant by multifactorial?
when a condition has several genetic and environmental factors.
What is meant by polygenic?
A polygenic trait is one whose phenotype is influenced by more than one gene.
