How Does Polygenic Inheritance Work?
Polygenic inheritance works by combining the effects of several individual genes. Every gene involved in a given trait contributes to the trait, but their contribution is not necessarily equal. In addition to the genes that contribute to a trait, environmental factors also play an important role. Different environmental factors can influence the expression of a trait and can even influence the expression of genes that contribute to the trait. The interaction of genes and environmental factors makes it difficult to predict the outcome of a particular trait. A geneticist studying a trait might be able to identify the genes that are likely to be involved and the likely contribution of each gene, but it remains difficult to predict the exact outcome of a trait.
What is Polygenic Inheritance?
Polygenic inheritance is a type of inheritance in which multiple genes control the phenotype of an organism. The phenotypes or traits can be height, skin color, the color of the eyes, etc. This type of inheritance is also known as quantitative inheritance or multifactorial inheritance. Such traits are known as polygenic traits. It is different from mendelian genetic inheritance in a number of genes controlling the traits. Polygenic inheritance can be seen in animals as well as plants. Every gene that controls traits is not necessarily equal. However, environmental factors also play an important role in polygenic inheritance. Polygenic inheritance has important implications for our understanding of complex diseases and traits, as well as for conservation and agricultural breeding.
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