Question
Which pattern of heredity determines traits such as human height or skin color, in which multiple genes influence the expression of a single phenotype? A. sex-linked inheritance B. incomplete dominance C. polygenic inheritance D. multiple alleles
Answer
4.1
(212 Votes)
Hazel
Veteran · Tutor for 11 years
Answer
The traits such as human height or skin color, which multiple genes influence the expression of are determined by the pattern of Polygenic Inheritance, which corresponds to Option C. Hence, the correct answer is C. polygenic inheritance.
Explanation
## Step 1: Understand the Question & Define Key TermsFirstly, we need to understand that phenotypes are the physical expressions of an organism's genes. A phenotype is often influenced by more than one gene, especially when it comes to traits such as human height and skin color. In such cases, multiple genes collectively contribute to a single phenotype. These traits are responsible for the variation we see in populations. Traits are not determined by a single gene.Traits like human height and skin color are great examples of polygenic traits. The term 'polygenic' literally means 'many genes', which refers to the inheritance of traits that are determined by interacting genes located at two or more loci. Given the question, our task is to identify the type of genetic inheritance that multiple genes correlate to form a single observable trait such as human height or skin color.## Step 2: Understand every option and rule out incorrect onesWe eliminate options based on their definitions:1. Sex-linked inheritance is a pattern in which genes are passed to successive generations via sex chromosomes. This is false based on our explanation above.2. Incomplete dominance is a pattern of inheritance in which neither gene is dominant, thus the phenotypic trait represents an intermediate in between. This also did not seem to apply, especially with our understanding as discussed above.3. Polygenic inheritance involves more than one gene affecting a phenotype, with additive effects showcasing a vast representation in a population. From the definition we gave initially, it best suits our problem.4. Last, multiple alleles refer to a case where an individual carries more than two alleles. However, this can often be the case in population genetics, but an individual is typically restricted by two alleles. This doesn’t fit our current problem either.## Step 3: Select the correct optionFrom the explanations and descriptions from the above steps, it is clear that Trichias final solution or answer would be Polygenic Inheritance, adopting the point notation for answer. So Answer is Option C.