1. Similarities of Parents and Offspring

2. Similarities of Parents to Offspring's
You may have friends who look a lot like one of their parents. They may share the same smile, eyes, type of hair, or skin color.
Many characteristics of organisms are passed down from their offsprings.
An offspring is when all plants and animals reproduce or make more of their kind.

3. Traits
In many humans and animals, hair color or fur color or eye color is an inherited trait.
Inherited Traits (traits) is a characteristic that is passed down from parents to their offspring's.
Organisms gets some traits from its mom and some of their traits from its dad. So each organism receives a different combination of traits from both parents.
That’s why brothers and sisters all look a like or similar, because they get different combinations of their parents traits and genes.

4. Genes Each trait is controlled by a pair of genes.
Genes contain the DNA codes for all the traits an organism inherits.
Genes are on chromosomes. The genes for a particular trait always occupy the same place on a chromosome.
Gene combinations determined if traits are seen (dominate traits) or hidden (recessive traits).

5. Great Short Video

6. Recessive and Dominant Traits
Sometimes an offspring has a trait that it doesn’t seem to have inherited from its parents. For example, two brown-haired parents have a baby with blonde hair. How can that be?
Organisms have two kinds of traits, recessive and dominant traits.
Recessive trait is a weak trait and the parent has to have two of these traits to show in its offspring, otherwise the trait will not show.
Dominant trait is a strong trait and over takes the weak trait. Your parent only needs one dominant trait for it to show in its offspring.

7. Example of Dominant Traits
Brown eyed color in humans results from a gene that produces the brown color, it’s a dominant trait.
Blue eyed color results from a gene that does not produce a visible product, it’s the recessive trait.
If a child receives a brown-eyed gene from her mother and a blue-eyed gene from its father, the child will have brown eyes because the child the child has at least one gene that will successfully make the brown eye. The brown eyed gene is said to be dominant because it is seen in the child or offspring.

8. Partner Time! Get with a partner.
Complete the worksheet together having your partner help you identify if you have the traits listed.
Put a check mark beside the trait you have.
We will share our results together at the end!
When you have completed the worksheet, glue this page into your notebook.

9. Earlobe

10. Dimples

11. Tongue Roller

12. Freckles

13. Eyelashes

14. Tongue to Nose

15. Hitch HikersThumb

16. Hair Line Widows Peak

17. Inherited Behaviors
A behavior is a way of acting. Behaviors can be inherited too.
Inherited behaviors are called instincts.
Many animals are born with instincts that help them survive.
Can you think of any animal instincts?

18. Inherited Behavior examples…
When the weather turns chilly in the fall, animals prepare for the winter by instinct.
Some animals head for warmer climates during the winter. Other animals find a safe spot and curl up for a long sleep.
No one taught these animals how to survive winters. They know
what to do by instinct.

19. Behavioral Traits:
Behavioral traits can also be passed from parent to offspring.
An example is the behavior of a frog using its tongue to catch a fly for food.
The frog did not learn this behavior, but uses it instinctually, the frog did inherit this behavior from its parents.
Another example of an inherited behavior in animals, is in dogs.
Dogs instinctually know how to swim, this is a behavior they get from its parents.

20. Learned Behaviors
Are you better at using the computer than the some of the adults in your family? If so, you learned how to do this. You did not inherit this behavior from your parents.
We learn many behaviors that helps us every day. These behaviors include how to make a sandwich, wakeboard,
and be polite to others.

21. Can you learn behaviors that do not help you?
Yes!
They can include watching television or eating poorly.
Can animals learn behaviors?
Yes! Can your dog sit?

22. Environmental or Learned Factors Hobbies Talents Favorite things
Genes that you inherit
Hair color or eye color
Skin color
Face shape
Height
Widows peak
Shoe size
Hitchhikers thumb
Color Blindness
Dominant hand
Rolling tongues
Environmental or Learned Factors
Hobbies
Talents
Favorite things
Attitude or behavior
Weight
Hair length or style

23. Environmental Factors
Some things are a result of the environment.
For example, say I took a bunch of seeds from the same plant. I decided to water one plant a lot but I only water the other plant a little bit, and the last plant I don’t water at all. These plants will all grow differently because of the amount of nutrients they are getting, they are affected by their environment.
This would not be their genes influencing their size or how much the plants grow but by how much water the plants are getting.

25. Match the Parent to its Offspring

26. Essential Questions to Know
Katie is the tallest student in her class. What best explanations for Katie’s height?
a. Katie exercise regularly b. Katie eats a healthy diet
Katie has tall parents d. Katie plays basketball
Which is an example of an inherited behavior?
A dog rolls over b. A cat jumps through a hoop
A bird build a nest d. a dog brings his owner a stick
Which characteristic is learned? A. hair color b. Color of eyes c. Shape of ears d. Language spoken

27. More Practice Questions to Know
Jacob observes two snakes in his yard. One snake has vertical stripes on his back, the other snake has horizontal stripes. Which best explains why the snakes have different appearances?
The snakes have the same siblings
The snakes live in different habitats
The snakes are members of different species
The snakes search for food in the same environment.
What is an inheritied characteristic?
Freckles b. Fingerprints c. Hair length d. Favorite color
Carl's father is a professional basketball player. Carl hopes he can move as quickly as his father when he is playing basketball. Which best explains why Carl may have to spend time practicing his moves?
The ability to move is easy
The ability to move is a learned characteristic
The ability to move is impossible to learn
The ability to move quickly is an inherited characterisitc

28. Which is an action that combines a learned behavior with an inherited characteristic?
The beating of a human heart
The spinning of a web by a spider
The way a bear catches fish for food
The regular breathing of a sleeping dog
Linda noticed everyone in her family has brown hair and brown eyes. Which best explains these similarities?
Hair and eye color are a learned characteristic
Hair and eye color are inherited characteristic
Hair color is inherited, eye color is learned
Hair color is learned, while eye color is inherited

29. More Practice Questions
10. Which of the following is not an inherited trait in humans?
A) color of eyes
B) length of hair
C) color of skin
D) ability to roll tongue
11. Which of the following baby animals most closely resembles their parents at birth?
A) koala
B) larva
C) tadpole
D) eel
12. Which of the following is not an inherited trait among animals?
A) fur color
B) eye color
C) adult weight
D) ability to swim

30. More Practice Questions
13. For years everyone has told you that you look and act just like your dad. Which of the following characteristics are probably a result of interaction with your environment rather than heredity?
A) straight hair
B) weight
C) eye color
D) blood type
14. The genetic traits that a parent passes to its offspring are called__ traits.
A) dominant
B) learned
C) recessive
D) inherited
15. If two lions have a baby lion, their normal offspring would have
A) hairless skin, four legs, claws
B) fur, two legs, two eyes
C) fur, four legs, two eyes
D) two eyes, no claws, striped fur

31. More Practice Questions
16. Two boys are twins, one has green eyes and the other one has dark brown eyes. Both parents have dark brown eyes. What caused the difference in eye color?
A) the mother
B) the father
C) dominant genes
D) recessive genes
17. A baby duck is guaranteed to inherit which trait from its parents?
A) size
B) weight
C) sight
D) webbed feet
18. A kangaroo is an animal with a pouch. When a joey, a baby kangaroo, is born, it makes its way to the pouch. It is safe in the pouch and grows quickly. The joey did not need to be taught to go into the pouch, because he was born with this instinct. The joey was born with a pouch, too. What else does the joey need to do while it is being protected in the pouch?
A) stay away from light
B) learn to hunt animals
C) drink milk from its mom
D) eat plants that are put there by mom

32. More Practice Questions
19. What contains the DNA codes for all the traits an organism inherits?
traits b. offspring c. genes d. DNA
20. This is a weak trait and the parent has to have two of these traits to show in its offspring, otherwise the trait will not show.
dominant trait b. recessive trait c. offspring d. Genes
21. James and his father are both great athletes. Which characteristic did James most likely learn from his father?
a. height and weight c. large feet and hands
b. fast swimming stroke d. muscular body structure

33. More Practice Questions
21. Which is an example of a learned characteristic?
a. color of a dog’s fur c. freckles
b. running fast d. rolling your tongue
22. Which statement best supports why many offspring look similar to their parents?
a. Offspring inherit characteristics from one parent.
b. Offspring inherit characteristics from both parents.
c. Parents choose which characteristics to pass on to their offspring.
d. Parents choose to change their appearance to match that of their offspring.

34. More Practice Questions
23. The picture below shows a mother and daughter. Which characteristic did the girl most likely inherit from her mother?
her sense of fashion c. her hair style
b. her hair color d. her freckles

35. Ray will soon have a baby sister
Ray will soon have a baby sister. The pictures below represent Ray and his parents. Which will most likely be the color of the new baby’s hair?
a. It will be dark, because the baby will inherit only Ray’s characteristics.
b. It will be dark, because the baby will inherit only the father’s characteristics.
c. It will be light, because the baby will inherit only the mother’s characteristics
d. It could be light or dark, because the baby will inherit characteristics from both parents

36. 25. Which example below is NOT a result from your environment?
your round belly
b. your hair cut
c. your shoe size
d. your tan skin

37. Chrissy and Rachael are twin sisters, and they look alike but not exactly alike, there are some differences. Which best explains this?
a. They chose to express characteristics that were different from one another.
b. Chrissy inherited all her characteristics from their father and Rachael inherited all her characteristics from their mother.
c. They both inherited characteristics from each of their parents, but chose to express only some of the characteristics.
d. They both inherited characteristics from each of their parents, but the characteristics are expressed in different ways.