1. Traits

2. Important Terms to know
What is Heredity?
The process through which traits are passed from parents to offspring.
This is why some people tend to look like their parents and grandparents.

3. Inherited Traits
Inherited traits are traits that are passed down from the a persons’ parents.
This is done through chromosomes.
People are born with these traits and can not be altered without surgery.
Examples of these traits are face shape, hair color, blood type, hair color, ear shape, and even the arrangement of your teeth.
Behaviors can also be inherited. Can you think of an inherited behavior?

4. Inherited Traits Cont. Plants can also inherit traits.
These traits include the color of a flower or the shape of a fruit.
Can you think of an example for inherited traits of plants?

5. Acquired Traits
Acquired traits are traits that are developed after you are born.
Examples of acquired traits are riding a skateboard, riding a bike, dogs following a command, lions learning to hunt, birds learning to sing songs.
There are 3 types of acquired traits; learned, environmental, and manipulated.

6. Learned Traits
When an organism acquires a trait it is considered a learned trait.
Riding a skateboard is considered a learned trait because you are learning and remembering skills and information.

7. Environmental Traits
Environmental traits are traits that are acquired from the environment.
A flamingo is pink because it eats pink food.

8. Manipulated Traits
Manipulated traits are traits that are deliberately changed.
Plants and animals have been manipulated for thousands of years.
Gardeners can control the shape and design of a plant.
Breeders can mate animals with the most desirable traits.

9. Acquired and Inherited Traits
Some traits can be both inherited and acquired.
Example: A person may inherit the capacity to be tall. However, the trait will only show itself with proper nutrition and exercise.

10. Instinctive Traits
Instinctive traits are traits that animals are born knowing how to do.
An example of an instinctive trait is a turtle that has buried its eggs to protect them.
Another example is a bear that hibernates during the winter.

11. DNA

12. What determines the Inherited traits of an organism?
The information needed for inherited traits is stored in a molecule known as DNA.

13. What does DNA look like? DNA consists of 2 long parallel strands.
The strands coil around each other like edges of a twisted ladder.

14. DNA
Molecules of DNA are passed from one generation to the next during reproduction.
This is how inherited traits are formed.
A copy of the DNA must be made in order to pass it to the next generation.

15. How a DNA is replicated
DNA molecules separate along their nitrogen bases
Free floating bases attach to each strand to form new DNA
This is how DNA is replicated.

16. Chromosomes
As a cell gets ready to divide the double strands of DNA coil tightly.
These shorter thicker strands of DNA form rod- shaped structures known as chromosomes.
Chromosomes are only visible under a microscope.
Chromosomes consist of 2 identical halves called chromatids.
Most organisms have an equal number of chromosomes.
Humans have 46 chromosomes in each cell.

17. Chromosomes Cont’d There are more traits than there are chromosomes.
This is because the information in one chromosome can determine many traits. Each trait of an organism is determine by a short segment of DNA.
This segment is called a gene.

18. Mutations
Occasionally, an error occurs during the process of DNA replication.
This kind of error (or change) is known as a mutation.
Many mutations are harmful because they can decrease an organisms chances of survival.
In rare cases, mutations can be helpful because they result in desirable traits.
Some mutations are neither helpful or harmful. These changes are typically less noticeable.
Some mutations can be caused purposefully while others are on accident.

19. Genes and Health Inherited Diseases Disorder Description
Cystic fibrosis
Makes mucus extra thick and sticky, clogging lungs and digestive track
Hemophilia
Prevents body from producing clotting factors, results in uncontrolled bleeding
Muscular dystrophy
Prevents body from making protein for muscle cells, resulting in muscle weakness
Sickle cell anemia
Creates red blood cellsshaped like sickles. Sickle cells block other cells in bloodstream and do not carry as much oxygen.

20. Dominant and Recessive Genes
The type of trait you inherit is dependent on the characteristics of the genes. Some traits are dominant and some are recessive.
Dominate- trait that is expressed when an organism receives genes for 2 different forms of a trait.
Recessive-trait that is NOT expressed when an organism receives genes for 2 different forms of a trait.
Hybrid- An organism that has two different genes for the same trait is called hybrid.

21. Adaptations
Any trait that helps an individual to survive and environment is called an adaptation.
A favorable trait in one environment may not be favorable in another.
Some adaptations help animals to find food.
Some adaptations help organisms defend themselves.

22. Examples of Adaptations
A long, deep beak helps a pelican scoop up a fish.
Air bladders keep this seaweed floating, letting its leaves bask in the sun.
Porcupine quills help to defend against predators.

23. Camouflage Camouflage is the ability to blend into the environment.
Organisms with this adaptations can hide from predators.
Example:
The walking stick is an insect that looks like a twig. It is well hidden.

24. Warning Colorations
Warning coloration is an adaptation that is used by some animals that have venom, spines, stingers, foul scents, or are toxic, to advertise to predators that they are not desirable prey.
Examples:
The blue and black patterns of the poison arrow frog signal predators that it is toxic.
Monarch butterflies
Bees
Skunks

25. Mimicry Mimicry is the ability to look like other species.
An organism might mimic another species that is more threatening to a predator.
The king snake gets extra protection from looking like a coral snake.

26. Selective Breeding
The practice of breeding plants and animals for desirable traits is known as selective breeding.
Through selective breeding, humans try to plan the arrangement of genes in offspring without actually changing the genetic material in any way.

27. Hybridization
One method of selective breeding involves combining parents with two or more different traits. This method is known as hybridization.
The goal of hybridization is to produce a hybrid organism with the best traits from both parents.
Thornless roses are an example hybridization.

28. Inbreeding
Another method of selective breeding involves combining plants and animals with the same or similar traits.
This method is known as inbreeding.
In some ways it is opposite to hybridization.
Breeders goal of inbreeding is to keep a breed pure so that the offspring maintain the same traits as their parents.
Horses and dogs are often bred pure.

29. How are hybridization and inbreeding alike and different?
Both are methods of selective breeding used to produce desirable traits. Hybridization combines parents with two or more different traits to produce offspring with the best traits from both parents. Inbreeding combines parents with the same or similar traits to produce these similar traits in the offspring.