What is Polygenic inheritance?
Polygenic inheritance is a type of inheritance in which a single phenotypic trait (height, color of the eye, skin color, etc.) is governed by more than one pair of genes. Such traits are called polygenic traits. Let’s understand polygenic inheritance in humans as well as plants.
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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