Genetics

What is Genetics?• Genetics is the study of genes

and heredity (passing of traits from generation to generation).

• Genes carry the information that determines which traits you will have.

Traits• All living things have traits (or

characteristics) that determine what they will look like/act like.

• A trait can be a physical feature, such as hair color or the size of your nose.

• Traits can also be behaviors, which is how someone or something acts or responds to its environment.

Traits = physical features or behaviors

Examples of TraitsPhysical Features

Behaviors

• Shape of a leaf

• Color of animals fur

• Hairstyle• Hair color• Size of chin

• Building a nest• Growing

towards the sun• Laughing• Crying• Rolling your

tongue

Can you think of any others to add to the chart?

How do we get our traits?• We get our traits in different

ways.

• Some traits are passed down from parent to offspring (children or young). These are called inherited traits.

• If you received a trait because of your parents having that trait, that trait is inherited (passed down).

DNA• Inherited traits come

from our genes, which are made up of DNA.

• DNA is the material that carries all the information about how a living thing will look and function.

Inherited Traits• Physical features and behaviors can be inherited,

or gotten from parents. We resemble (look like) our parents because of our inherited traits.

A population of northern cardinals in N.C. forest

**A population is group of one or more species of organisms of the same kind that live in the same area at the same time.**A species is a class of things of the same kind with the same name

These cardinals inherited both physical features and behaviors from their parents.

Physical Traits: red feathers, 2 legs, etc.

Behavioral Traits: singing, etc.

Other Examples of Inherited TraitsPhysical Traits Behaviors

• Puppies inherit fur and four legs

• You inherited the color of your eyes and hair, the shape of you nose, and having 2 arms

• A plant has same shaped leaves as its parent

• Puppies inherit behavior of barking

• You inherited the ability to laugh and cry

• Plants grow towards the sun

All of these organisms have

these traits because their parents had

them.

How do we get our traits?

• Not all traits are inherited. There are some things we learn or get along the way. These are acquired traits.

• An acquired trait is a trait that an organism gets during its lifetime. You are not born with acquired traits. You acquire, or get them.

• Both physical traits and behavioral traits can be acquired traits.

Acquired TraitsPhysical Traits Learned Behaviors

A boy develops a scar from an injury

A plant’s leaves are spotted from disease

A tree trunk is scarred from a lightning strike

A man chips his tooth

A lady gets a new hairstyle

A bird teaches its offspring to fly

Young chimpanzees learn to use sticks as tools for getting food

A boy learns to read

You learn to ride a bike

Your cousin can play the piano

Organisms are not born with acquired traits. They get them over the course of their lifetime.

Heredity Review

• Click the DNA below to learn more about heredity.

Discussion Question

Think about your own traits. What are 3 of your inherited traits? What are three of your acquired traits?