Variation Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

What is variation?

Differences in the characteristics of individuals of the same species.

What are the two types of cause of variation in phenotype?

Genetic variation (from mutation and sexual reproduction) and environmental variation (acquired characteristics).

What is an acquired characteristic?

A characteristic caused by the organism's environment rather than by its alleles, e.g. a scar or the language a person speaks.

Give an example of a human characteristic influenced by both genes and the environment.

Body mass — affected by inherited alleles and by diet, exercise and disease (height is another example).

What was the main outcome of the Human Genome Project?

The complete base sequence of the human genome was worked out, and the positions of human genes were mapped.

Give two potential medical applications of the Human Genome Project.

Predicting a person's risk of a disease and testing for genetic disorders; also developing new drugs and personalised (tailored) medicines.