Basic Features of Heredity
- The basic concepts of heredity, derived by Gregor Mendel during his studies in the mid-19th-century became the foundation for the modern science of genetics.
- The transmission of traits from parents to their children is carried through genes, the functional units responsible for heredity in all living organisms.
- Many characteristics are influenced by more than one gene, they are referred to as polygenic. Many genes exist in multiple alleles throughout a population. The polygenic and multiple allelic nature of many traits gives a large potential for variability among hereditary characteristics.
- Heredity is the sum of all biological processes by which particular characteristics are transmitted between different generations.
- The sex cells or the gametes form the bridge across which the heredity must pass between the generations, and are usually invisible to the naked eye.
Heredity
The transmission of particular characters from parents to offspring is termed Heredity and Evolution. When a living organism is developed or gradually progressed from a simple life form to a complex organism it is termed Evolution. In all living organisms, the rules of inheritance determine the pattern of inheritance. Evolution is due to the inheritance of these variations in a particular organism. When there is reproduction between two genetically diverse organisms it gives rise to variations in any living organisms. Sexual reproduction causes more successful variations as compared to asexual reproduction.
Human beings can be distinguished from one another based on the inherited characteristics that children get from their parents. They reproduce sexually and hence various heredity traits are passed on, which has resulted in such dynamic changes in the later generations over the years. The human body and animals show a variety of changes that occur due to Heredity and Evolution.