Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first video
Multiple Choice
When the phenotypic values for a polygenic trait are plotted on a graph, the distribution is:
A
bimodal
B
skewed to the right
C
uniform
D
approximately normal (bell-shaped)
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand that polygenic traits are controlled by multiple genes, each contributing a small effect to the overall phenotype.
Recognize that when many genes influence a trait, the combined effect tends to produce a continuous range of phenotypes rather than discrete categories.
Recall the Central Limit Theorem, which states that the sum of many independent random variables tends to follow a normal distribution, regardless of the individual distributions.
Apply this concept to polygenic traits: the phenotypic values, being the sum of many genetic effects plus environmental influences, will approximate a normal (bell-shaped) distribution when plotted.
Therefore, the graph of phenotypic values for a polygenic trait typically shows a bell-shaped curve, indicating a normal distribution rather than bimodal, skewed, or uniform.