Question

List as many human traits as you can that are likely to be under the control of a polygenic mode of inheritance.

Short answer

Question: List some human traits that are likely to be under the control of polygenic inheritance. Answer: Some examples of human traits under polygenic inheritance include height, skin color, intelligence, body mass index, eye color, hair color, susceptibility to common diseases, and behavioral traits. These traits are influenced by multiple genes as well as environmental factors.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding polygenic inheritance

Polygenic inheritance is a pattern of inheritance where a particular trait is controlled by multiple genes with each gene having a small contribution to the overall phenotype. In this situation, traits often show a continuous distribution among individuals in a population. This is in contrast to single-gene traits, which have a few distinct phenotypic forms.

Identifying traits likely to be polygenic

In order to identify human traits that are likely to be under the control of polygenic inheritance, we can think of traits that show variation in a population and cannot simply be explained by a single gene.

Listing traits under the control of polygenic inheritance

Here are some human traits that are likely to be under the control of polygenic inheritance: 1. Height: Variation in human height is influenced by multiple genes, as well as environmental factors. 2. Skin color: Human skin color is determined by multiple genes controlling the production of melanin, and also depends on factors such as exposure to sunlight. 3. Intelligence: Multiple genes contribute to human intelligence and cognitive abilities, but environmental factors and upbringing also play a significant role. 4. Body mass index (BMI): BMI is influenced by multiple genes related to metabolism, appetite, and fat storage, as well as environmental factors such as diet and exercise. 5. Eye color: Several genes contribute to the pigmentation of the iris, which determines eye color, although it's not as simple as a single gene for each color. 6. Hair color: Hair color is determined by multiple genes controlling the production of melanin, which is responsible for hair pigmentation. 7. Susceptibility to common diseases: Certain diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, are influenced by multiple genes that interact with each other and with environmental factors to determine an individual's risk. 8. Behavioral traits: Various behavioral traits, such as aggression, extraversion, and conscientiousness, are influenced by multiple genes as well as environmental factors. These are just a few examples of human traits that are likely to be under the control of a polygenic mode of inheritance. There are many more traits that are influenced by multiple genes, but these examples should provide a good starting point for understanding the concept.