Traits: inherited and environmental
Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment as well as inheritance
What a learner can do afterwards
- Explain that traits result from both inheritance and environmental factors
- Give examples of environmental influence on traits (e.g. sunlight affects plant growth, diet affects animal size)
- Distinguish between inherited traits (e.g. eye colour) and environmentally influenced traits (e.g. muscle strength from exercise)
The lesson
You already know that traits like eye colour pass from parents to their children. But not every trait comes from genes alone. Where a living thing grows up, and how it lives, can shape traits too.
Two puppies from the same litter share almost the same genes. One gets a daily walk and good meals. The other stays inside and eats less. The active puppy grows strong muscles. Its sibling stays thinner, even though they started with the same genes.
Eye colour is an inherited trait. It is set by genes at birth, and it does not change no matter where you live. Muscle strength and plant height are different. They have an inherited part, but the environment, things like food, water, sunlight, and exercise, can change them too.
To tell if environment plays a part, ask: would this trait change if the food, sunlight, or exercise changed? If yes, the environment is shaping it.
Genes set the starting point for a trait, but the environment, like sunlight, food, and exercise, can shape how that trait turns out.
Watch it
Where it sits
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Nothing builds on it yet.
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.