Heredity

Inherited Traits
Have you ever wondered..
Why do people have babies?
Why do dogs have puppies?
Why do birds have baby birds?
Why do seals have pups?
 What is a trait?
A trait is any notable feature or quality in a
person or organism.
Physical traits
Behavioral traits
Some traits can be influenced by our
environment or the things we do.
For example:
hair color
skin color
predisposition for certain medical conditions
 What defines our traits?

Our Genes determine our

traits.
The genes located on the
chromosomes that are
found in the nucleus of
our cells
We inherited these from
our parents
 Lets look at some of the
dominant traits listed below.
Free earlobes Dark Hair Widows peak
Cannot fold Dimples Straight little
tongue up Curly Hair finger
Clockwise Freckles Can roll
hair whorl Dark tongue
Bushy, thick eyebrows Straight little
eyebrows Turned up finger
Brown Eyes nose
How are genes passed from parent to
child?
Through reproduction.
The child receives a set of chromosomes from
the mom and a set of chromosomes from the
dad.
Humans have 46 chromosomes or 23 pairs of
chromosomes.
Other organisms have different numbers of
chromosomes.
Each organism received its genes from
its parents.
Lets use a critter to explore.
This critter has 8 chromosomes.
Lets see if you can determine the traits a critter
would have if it had the chromosomes and alleles
in your bag.
Yellow chromosome BLUE green eye color
Pink chromosome BROWN orange spots or not
Orange chromosome PURPLE yellow skin color
Purple chromosome RED lt blue curly tongue
4 Daughter Cells from One Parent Cell

HALF THE CHROMOSOME NUMBER FOR EACH CELL!!!!

Cells dividing in meiosis
Meiosis