Question

Example of Non-inherited Trait. Explain how the trait is gained (pea plants)

Answer 1

Answer:

Examples of non-inherited-traits:

- At phenotypic level: parental body size that may influence offspring plant development. A plant with an obliquely inclined plant stem in order to absorb more sunlight

- At cellular level: DNA methylation at a specific locus due to environmental conditions  

Explanation:

Non-inherited traits (also known as learned traits) can be defined as cellular/phenotypic characteristics that not passed from parent to offspring. Non-inherited traits are the result of environmental factors. For example, in pea plants, the stem may grow with a different inclination compared to the observed in parental plants in order to absorb more sunlight. At the cellular level, non inherited traits are associated with environmental conditions that influence cellular characteristics (e.g., cold exposition may be capable of influencing the level of DNA methylation at individual Cytosine nucleotides). In humans, learned traits refer to traits that are culturally acquired (e.g.., learned from teachers, ​friends, parents, etc).