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Genes and Traits Introduction

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Genes and Traits Introduction

At a science fair, Wyatt, Aaliyah, and Ravi are building a display about how inherited information relates to traits. Use the evidence and models on this page to help them explain their ideas. Remember: genes influence traits, but many traits are also affected by the environment.

Build the Vocabulary

Use the passage to answer each question.

1.Aaliyah writes three terms on her display: DNA, gene, and trait. Match each term to its meaning: DNA; gene; trait. Meanings: a characteristic of an organism; a molecule that stores inherited instructions; a section of DNA that can influence a characteristic.

DNA
Gene
Trait

A section of DNA that can influence a characteristic
A molecule that stores inherited instructions
A characteristic of an organism

2.Which statement best describes how genes and traits are related?

Traits are sections of DNA that make genes.
Genes are sections of DNA that can influence traits.
DNA is made from traits.
Every gene controls exactly one trait by itself.

3.Wyatt is checking examples for the display. Write “inherited,” “learned,” or “acquired” for each: natural eye color; playing a song on a guitar after practice; a scar left by a cut.

Read the Evidence

At the science fair, Ravi displays two young plants of the same species. Plant A grew under bright light and has broad, dark-green leaves. Plant B grew in low light and has smaller, paler leaves. Their inherited instructions are similar, but the different light conditions may have affected their growth. Ravi explains that some traits are strongly influenced by genes, while others can be influenced by both genes and the environment.

4.What is one environmental difference between Plant A and Plant B that could help explain their different leaf growth?

5.True or false: The plants’ different leaf sizes prove that they have different genes.

TrueFalse

6.Which conclusion is best supported by Ravi’s evidence?

The environment can affect how some traits appear.
Genes never affect plant traits.
Plants cannot inherit traits.
Low light changes every gene in a plant.

7.Name one plant trait that can be inherited and one animal trait that can be inherited. For each, explain what the trait describes.

Model and Explain

Use the information on this page to plan a clear science-fair explanation.

8.Complete the model in words by filling the blanks: A gene is a section of . Genes can influence an organism’s .

9.A visitor says, “If two organisms look different, they must have different genes.” Explain why this claim is too simple. Use the words genes, traits, and environment.

Draw a simple flow model showing DNA, a highlighted gene, and a trait that the gene can influence. Add arrows and labels. Do not suggest that one gene always controls an entire complex trait.

10.Write a two- or three-sentence caption for the science-fair display. Explain how genes relate to DNA and traits, and include one way the environment can affect an organism.