5.L.3.1 Heredity

Heredity is the passing of traits from parents to their offspring through genes.

Genes are the units of heredity that carry information for traits and characteristics.

Offspring resemble their parents because they inherit genes from both the mother and father.

A trait is a specific characteristic of an organism, such as eye color or height.

Yes, offspring can have different behaviors than their parents even if they look similar.

The environment can influence how traits are expressed, but it does not change the genetic information inherited.

Inherited traits are passed down from parents, while acquired traits are developed through experience or environment.

Siblings may look different because they inherit different combinations of genes from their parents.

A dominant trait is a characteristic that is expressed even if only one parent passes on the gene for that trait.

A recessive trait is a characteristic that is expressed only when both parents pass on the gene for that trait.