Heredity
Reliably inherited, with variation.
Like parents, but not the same
A child has the basic features of a human being, just like its parents. But it does not look exactly like its mother or its father.
What do the rules of heredity explain?
What this lesson covers
The idea
The rules of heredity determine how traits and characteristics are reliably inherited, so offspring share the basic design of their kind while still showing variation.
Like parents, but not the same
A child has the basic features of a human being, just like its parents. But it does not look exactly like its mother or its father.
What do the rules of heredity explain?
- How traits are reliably inherited
- How a child chooses its own traits
- Why every child looks exactly the same
Same and different
Open both tabs.
Alike, but not identical
Children share the basic design of their kind. They also show variation. The rules of heredity tell us how traits and characteristics are inherited reliably.
The rules of heredity determine how traits and characteristics are reliably inherited, so offspring share the basic design of their kind while still showing variation.
Notes
Heredity: the rules by which traits are reliably inherited, so offspring share the basic design of their kind and still show variation.
Check yourself
What do the rules of heredity determine?
A child looks a little different from its parents. Does it still share the basic features of a human being?
Which statement fits heredity?
- How an organism finds its food. Finding food is not what heredity is about. The rules of heredity are about how traits are inherited.
- How traits and characteristics are reliably inherited — correct. Yes!
- Why a child looks exactly like its parents. A child does not look exactly like its parents. The rules of heredity tell how traits are inherited, with variation.
- No, a different look means a different basic design. The differences are subtle. The child bears all the basic features of a human being.
- No, it shares nothing with its parents. The child shares the basic design of its kind, even though it does not look exactly like its parents.
- Yes, it bears all the basic features of a human being — correct. Yes!
- Offspring share the basic design of their kind but still show variation — correct. Yes!
- Offspring show no variation, because traits are reliably inherited. Human populations show a great deal of variation, even though basic features are inherited.
- Offspring show variation but share nothing of the basic design. Offspring bear the basic features of their kind. Variation is the subtle differences within it.