09/07/2021 Biology 2

VARIATION
LO: What is variation and what are its causes?
• Be able to describe how variations
Some in species occur.

• Be able to describe the difference between

Most environmental and inherited variation.

• Be able to define the term ‘variation’.

All
Key words
Variation, genes, environment, interspecific,
intraspecific.
 Starter Activity
• You are going to analyse the variation in wrist circumference in this
class.
• In Y7 you learnt about tally charts and frequency diagrams. We
shall apply these skills.
1. Measure the circumference of your right wrist in cm to 1 decimal
place. Someone at home can help you do this.
2. Report your result in chats.
3. Use all the results of the class to make a list of the measurements.
4. Use the measurements to calculate the mean (average) wrist
circumference of the people in your class.
5. Draw a results table and complete it. Use the format shown.
 Results Table
Wrist circumference Tally Number of people

14.0 – 14.9

15.0 – 15.9

16.0 – 16.9

17.0 – 17.9

18.0 – 18.9
 Frequency Diagram
1. Draw a frequency diagram of your results.
The wrist circumference should go on the
horizontal axis and the number of people on
the vertical axis.
2. Draw vertical bars to show the number of
people in each size range. The bars should
touch each other.
 Questions
1. What is the overall range of wrist
circumference in your class?
2. Which wrist circumference is the most
common in your class?
3. Describe an patterns that you can see in your
results.
 Characteristics
• A characteristic is a feature of an organism. It can be
something we can see (like hair colour) or something
we can’t see (like blood group).

• All humans have different combinations of

characteristics, meaning we all look different.

• This difference in our characteristics is called

variation.
What characteristics?
What if they had a child?
What if they had a child?
Who are her parents?
Who are her parents?
What if they had a child?
 Find the different variations of species in the paragraph, and
highlight to show what caused the variation

On a visit to the zoo, a student saw lots of different types of

big cat. In the pride of lions the males had a mane, but the
females didn't. There was one lion with big scar on its face.
Some of the lions were a little overweight. All the tigers had
stripes, whilst the leopards had spots. Some of the leopards
were larger than others.

Key
Inherited – Characteristics caused by genes found in the nucleus of all cells. Can be
passed on from parents to offspring.
Environmental – Characteristics caused by influences in the surroundings. Cannot be
passed on from parents to offspring.
Both – Some characteristics can be influenced by both genes and the environment.
Highlight these in a third colour.
 Inherited Characteristics
• These are features that we get passed down to us
from our parents.

• They are coded for by genes – little bits of DNA in our

cells’ nuclei.

• We get half of our genes from our mother and half

from our father because the nuclei of their sex cells
fuses together in fertilisation.
 Are all of our
characteristics
inherited?
 Environmental Characteristics
• Some of our features are determined by how we live
and the choices we make, for example what we eat
and where we live.

• These are environmental characteristics

• Some characteristics can be both, for example height

and weight.
 Types of Variation
• There are two types of differences here.
• What do you think they are?
 Types of Variation
• Interspecific variation – Variation between species.
• Intraspecific variation – Variation within species.
Variation in Humans
• Use you red, amber and
green cards to categories
each of the following
variations which can occur
in humans.
Genetics, environment, or both?

Having a scar from an injury

Genetics, environment, or both?

Having a scar from an injury

Genetics, environment, or both?

 Having red hair

Genetics, environment, or both?

 Having red hair

(it depends!)
Genetics, environment, or both?

Being tallest in the

class
Genetics, environment, or both?

Being tallest in the

class
Genetics, environment, or both?

Being thinnest in the

class
Genetics, environment, or both?

Being thinnest in the

class
Genetics, environment, or both?

Having green eyes

Genetics, environment, or both?

Having green eyes

Genetics, environment, or both?

Having a tattoo
Genetics, environment, or both?

Having a tattoo
Genetics, environment, or both?

Having lung cancer

 Odd One Out

Hair Colour Weight Blood Group

 Odd One Out

Scars Accent Sporting ability

 Key Points
This lesson I have learnt:
• Inherited variations are
characteristics inherited from parents
 
• Environmental variations are
variations caused by the surroundings
 
• Many variations are affected by both
inherited and environmental factors.