Assignment on Heredity PDF

Running head; heredity 1
Heredity
Student’s name
Institutional affiliation

Heredity 2
Table of Contents
i. introduction........................................................................3
ii. Definition of heredity.............................................................3
iii. Heredity and its influence on human traits....................................4
iv. The role of nature and the environment in human psychological and physiological
traits....................................................................................7
v. The influence of heredity on individual differentiation and learning..........10
vi. conclusion...............................................................................12
vii. References...............................................................................13

Heredity 3
Introduction
Heredity in the study of human genetics is important in helping to explain the inheritance
of physical, physiological and psychological traits in human beings. The major influences of
heredity in human beings are the environment and the genetic constitution of individuals.
Heredity is also said to influence learning abilities in human beings. This paper focuses on a
broader definition of heredity and how heredity influences variations in human beings as
genetics influences physiological and psychological traits. The paper also seeks to explain how
the environment is also responsible in shaping traits and finally how the acquired and inherited
traits influence individual differentiation and learning.
Definition of Heredity
According to Ilies, & Dimotakis, (2015) heredity in genetics refers to the passing on of
certain physical or mental characteristics or traits from an organism to its offspring or from one
generation to another. The traits can either be passed on through sexual or asexual reproduction.
However in human beings, it’s mainly through sexual production where genetic information is
passed on from parent to offspring.
Kagan, (2018) argues that heredity involves inheritance and variation which is also
affected by the environment that an organism. In other words, the traits of an organism are
influenced by both the nature and the nurture of the organism. While the nature refers to the
inherited characteristics, nurture refers to the environmental conditions that are also responsible
in shaping the traits and the personality. Examples of the characteristics that are inherited from
parent to offspring in humans include height, skin color and hair among others.

Heredity 4
Heredity and its influence on human traits
The inherited traits are carried in the genes of the organism. Genes refer to very small
biochemical structures found in the cells of all organisms. The genes contain a chemical
component known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Several chains of DNA stranded together
forms chromosomes. The DNA contains coded information that controls the functioning and
growth of all the body parts, organs and organ systems. The genes determine the formation of
proteins and hormones thus influencing growth. Differences in the genes therefore cause
different constitution of proteins and other growth factors hence causing differences in the
individual traits in the organisms. The interaction of genes with other genes and the environment
may form a basis for variation through various processes.
The study of genetics and heredity was pioneered by Charles Darwin where he argued
that desirable traits are passed on to the offspring through sexual production therefore causing
natural selection. According to Darwin, natural variations through sexual reproduction were the
only determinants of heredity and new traits in a given population. More information regarding
genetics and heredity was not available until 1866 when Gregor Mendel, a German monk and a
scientist, published his work about numerous experiments he had conducted with breeding pea
plants (Waddington, 2016).
Mendel explained how an offspring acquires distinct characteristics from both of the
parents. Mendel also explains the principle of dominance where he argues that some traits may
be dominant while others recessive. He argues that the dominant characteristics are expressed in
the individual while the individual may still have recessive characteristics that are not expressed
due to their recessive nature. Mendel also used probability to explain the criteria through which
traits are passed on to the offspring during the formation of sex cells. Mendel also explained a