Science – Heredity
Short Answer Type Questions
Q.1) Why are the small numbers of surviving tigers a cause of worry from the point of view of genetics?
Ans) The small number of members in a population of tigers do not allow large number of variations to occur which are essential for the survival of the species. A deadly disease or calamity may cause death of all the tigers. The small number of tigers also indicates that existing tiger variants are not well-adopted to the existing environment and may become extinct soon.
Q.2) With the help of one example for each, distinguish between the acquired traits and the inherited traits. Why are the traits/experiences acquired during the entire lifetime of an individual not inherited in the next generation? Explain the reason of this fact with an example.
Ans)
| Acquired Traits | Inherited Traits |
|---|---|
| A trait or characteristics which develops in response to the environment and cannot be inherited. Example-A person learns to swim. | A characteristics feature inherited from the previous generation. Example-A girl has blue eyes just like her mother. |
Only those traits are inherited which are developed because of change in genes. An acquired trait or experience is developed as a response to the environment, it is not inherited. These are not developed due to changes in genes.
Example: Human beings experiencing weight loss due to starvation. There will be reduction in weight as a response to starvation. This will result in the reduction in the number of body cells or overall body mass ratio of the individual. It will not have any effect on the genetic constitution of the individual because there is no change in the genes of the individual. It is not an inherited trait.
Q.3) Write the Mendel’s law of dominance with its ray diagram.
Ans) Mendel’s law of dominance – See Q. no. 6 of Very Short Answer Question
Ray diagram related with law of dominance: –