Variation

Question 1

variation is…

Answer 1

the differences in the characteristics of individuals in a population/between organisms

Question 2

what is inherited variation

Answer 2

differences between organisms passed to offspring by their parents in reproduction

Question 3

what is environmental variation

Answer 3

differences between organisms caused by environmental factors

Question 4

what are environmental factors

Answer 4

things in an environment that can change an organism

Question 5

what is continuous variation

Answer 5

variations between individuals of a population in a character or trait in which the differences are slight, e.g. height

Question 6

features of continuous variation

Answer 6

• shown on line graphs
• no distinct categories
• tends to be quantitative
• controlled by a lot of genes
• strongly influenced by the environment

Question 7

what is discontinuous variation

Answer 7

where individuals fall into a number of distinct classes of categories or categories, e.g. blood group

Question 8

features of discontinuous variation

Answer 8

• shown on bar graphs
• distinct categories
• tends to be qualitative
• controlled by a few genes
• unaffected by the environment