Various genetic traits are passed on from one generation to another. These traits are either physical, behavioral or both. They can also be influenced by environment. For example, the eye colour of an individual may be green or blue. However, the eye colour of a person is dependent on many factors, including the environment in which they live, their genotype and genetics.
The most basic form of inheritance was discovered by Gregor Mendel in 1865. He studied pea plants in an abbey garden and discovered that a baby pea plant looked different from its parent. This discovery led to the development of the field of genetics. Today, genetic traits are called Mendelian traits. This is because Mendelian genetics defines inherited traits.
Various hereditary mechanisms are envisaged without proper testing. Some scientists maintained this doctrine until the 1930s. Later, an experiment was performed by McDougall (1927), which raised questions about possible bias in the selection of parents. Unlike most modern experiments, the McDougall experiment did not replicate treated and control lines. However, the experiment did demonstrate that inherited traits can be affected by many factors.
Other traits are acquired through other means. For example, a person without a bike will not be able to ride one. However, someone with a bike is likely to be able to ride it because of the practice and instruction they receive. A person with a bike may also choose to ride it selectively. Using artificial selection, people have developed domestic breeds of animals. A farmer looks for traits like hardiness and the ability to grow crops.
Inherited traits are also called phenotypes. A phenotype is a description of a physical or behavioral characteristic of an organism. The most common phenotypes are influenced by the genotype and environment. However, mutations can occur due to mistakes when DNA is copied. In some cases, environmental factors can also cause mutations. For example, an eye colour might be green in a person but blue in an animal.