How Are Characteristics Inherited? Chapter 7 Lesson 2 How Are Characteristics Inherited?

Inherited trait A characteristic passed from parents to their offspring. Eye color Hair color Curly hair Straight hair Attached earlobe Widow’s peak Height

Dominant trait A trait that appears even if an organism has only one factor for the trait. Some dominate traits are: Brown eye Brown hair Ability to roll tongue Right handed Brown fur in mice Tall plants

Recessive trait A trait that appears only if an organism has two factors for the trait. Some recessive traits are: Blue eyes Left handed Not able to roll Blond hair Short plants Light brown fur in mice

gene Part of a chromosome that contains the DNA code for an inherited trait.

gene All inherited traits are controlled by genes. tongue rolling thumb position hair color thousands more

gene Unless you have an identical twin, you are genetically unique. You share some characteristics with most humans, but there is no one else with exactly the same combination of factors that you have. This is because there are so many traits determined by genes.