Which of the following traits would you expect to be inherited...

Question

Which of the following traits would you expect to be inherited as quantitative traits?

Milk production in cattle

Accepted Answer

Hi, everyone. Let's look at our next problem. It says inherited traits that can take a potentially infinite number of states within a range are called. And we have choices of a threshold traits, B continuous traits, C, heuristic traits or D categorical traits. When we're looking at traits that have an infinite number of or potentially infinite number of states happening within a range. An example would be height for instance, in humans um where you have this whole gradient of heights, um there's not just a few possible heights, there's this whole wide range and that type of trait is called choice B continuous traits. But let's look through the other answer choices to understand why they are not correct. Um We have threshold mistic and categorical traits. Well, threshold traits and Myristic traits are both subsets of categorical traits. Categorical traits as their name indicates are ones where the traits have discrete categories versus a range of values that are sort of a gradient. So the example would be say flower color, you can have purple flowers or white flowers, not a whole gradient of different shades of color. So that's why choice D is not our correct answer. And then two categories or two types of categorical traits are choice a threshold traits. So threshold traits are categorical traits. So they, they don't exist in a continuous range. Um but they have a threshold of genetic and or environmental factors at which they appear. So an example of one of these would be type two diabetes. So it's not a continuous uh range of variables. You have type two diabetes or you don't, but there's a threshold at which it appears. So you might have prediabetes. And then at a certain point, you meet the characteristics of being diagnosed with type two diabetes. So that's what a threshold trade is, but it doesn't have a potentially infinite number of states that you see in continuous traits. So that's why choice a isn't correct. And then to IC Martic traits, this is another type of categorical trait and these are essentially what would be called counting traits. And that could be a little difficult to understand. But uh you, we can see clearly in an example which would be how many eggs does a bird lay? You say this species of bird lays from 2 to 4 eggs because a bird cannot lay 2.8 eggs. Um It has to be a distinct nme a discrete numerical value 23 or four eggs. So that's what a metic trait is, but it's definitely not a continuous trait. So that's why it's not our correct answer. So again, inherited traits that can take up potentially infinite number of states within a range are called choice B continuous traits. Hope to see you in the next video.

Which of the following traits would you expect to be inherited as quantitative traits?
Milk production in cattle

Key Concepts

Quantitative Traits

Polygenic Inheritance

Environmental Influence

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