An Introduction
Has it ever happened that your family or your friends say that you have some resemblance to either of your parents? It is a pretty common thing to happen. That’s what heredity is. You imbibe certain traits from your parents which can either be related to appearance or your behaviour. Inheritance is another word that is used to describe heredity. Like I said before, the resemblance is bound to be there in one way or the other as inheritance is all about the transfer of traits from parents to their children. The hereditary characteristics can be seen within families as well. An example of heredity would be a child getting the same hair colour as either of its parents.
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Heredity Definition
When it comes to inheriting hereditary traits or hereditary genes, to be honest, the science behind it is a bit complex and unpredictable. It is not possible to be sure of which hereditary traits from parents would the child receive. Inheritance is bound to happen but you can’t be sure about how it would happen.
The scientific definition of heredity can be explained in simple terms as, "Heredity or Inheritance is the biological process of transferring genetic information in the form of physical or mental characteristics from the parent to their children." In a family, the hereditary physical traits are often quite easy to point out.
There can be more than one way to state the heredity meaning or the heredity definition but the science behind it would always remain the same. The heredity definition in biology refers to the science that studies the definition of heredity in biological species and microorganisms.
Mendel’s Inheritance
The famous inheritance law was formulated by Gregor Mendel, who was given the title “The Father of Genetics”. He was a scientist who came up with his “Pea experiment”, to find out and prove the meaning of heredity.
As per the Mendel heredity theory, there are three laws of inheritance. They are scientifically stated as the “Laws of Heredity”. They are as follows;
The Law of Segregation
The Law of Independent Assortment
The Law of Dominance
These three laws help to define what heredity is. The results that Mendel got after the “Pea Experiment” were used as a reference to draft the hereditary traits list that we currently use. It is a list of all the traits that you as a child can inherit from your parents.
The list includes the following;
Eye Color
Hair Type and Color
Height
Fingerprints
Lips
Dimples
Teeth Structure
Mental Disorders
Left-Handedness
Blood Sugar
Sleeping Style
Heart Problems
These traits can be segregated into the ones that are likely to be inherited from Mother and Father separately. The factor of heredity and evolution should also be taken into account as it may define heredity with the variations/mutations that can occur.
Inheriting diseases from your parents is one of the heredity biology examples that can be proven. You can say that either or both parents have diabetes, then the likelihood of their child having diabetes is high. But according to Mendel’s theory, there can be variations too. It is all about heredity and evolution.
Fun Fact: Heredity and Evolution
We know that Charles Darwin put forth the theory of evolution which stated that only the fittest living organisms are bound to survive any change that they may encounter in their surroundings.
As per the heredity meaning and the heredity definition, it is clear that the process in a living organism is dependent on its parent organism for the traits that it may have inherited. Evolution on the other hand occurs when a living organism adapts itself according to the changes in its environment.
When asked to define heredity, you can say that it is all about inheriting traits from your parents. In evolution, an entire species goes through certain changes to make itself better.
It can be said that heredity and evolution are two peas in a pod. The evolution of a species occurs due to the traits that they have inherited from their predecessors. It occurs over successive generations and involves the mutations in the inherited genetic sequences in an organism.
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The heredity meaning or the heredity definition is used to acknowledge the process that stretches over generations. The child can inherit traits that may not be dominant in its parents. This occurs due to the hybridization of genes as per Mendel’s proposed theory.
Heredity and evolution go hand in hand as the evolution of organisms take place due to the mutations that occur in their genes.
FAQs on Heredity
1. Define the word “Heredity”.
The heredity meaning or the heredity definition is the passing of traits from one generation to the next by genetic mutations. It is defined as the phenomenon that transfers genetic information from a parent to their offspring.
Some of the heredity examples can be given as; if a child is left-handed then there is a high probability that the child’s father is left-handed as it is one of the dominant traits that can be inherited from the Father. On the other hand, it can also happen that both parents are short in height but their child is tall. This occurs when the recessive traits of both parents become dominant in the child.
2. Define Heredity in Biology.
When asked for heredity’s simple definition, it can be said that it is the process by which a child inherits genetic traits from its parents. The genetic characteristics are transferred from one generation to the other because of it. It is the reason why children resemble their parents in appearance or their behaviour.
The resemblance can also sometimes be seen in children and their grandparents or any other family member that is related to them by blood. For example, if the colour of your eyes is the same as either of your grandparents then, it is a result of variations that occur in transferring genetic information over generations.
All of this occurs based on Mendel’s experiment and the laws that were obtained from it.
3. Where can I find the notes for Heredity?
The students can find the notes for Heredity - Meaning, Definition and Heredity Theory only on the official website of Vedantu or app for absolutely free of charge. These notes are made by our expert teachers who bring you the excellence you deserve with simple, to the point details so that it is easier for the students to study and learn. These notes help you understand Biology easily and help you to clarify all the doubts and problems a student usually faces in topics like Heredity.
4. How can I understand Heredity - Meaning, Definition and Heredity Theory?
The student can understand Heredity - Meaning, Definition and Heredity Theory using the notes available at Vedantu for no charge at all. To learn and understand every concept of heredity, it is important that a student reads the concept and makes sure to practice the question papers or important questions related to Heredity such as Heredity theory etc. At first, the process might seem lengthy but after a while, it is easier for the student to practice and thus, ending up with good marks.
5. How are Heredity and Evolution different from each other?
The students often confuse the concepts of Heredity and evolution, but it is important to know that there is a big difference between these two factors and thus should not be used interchangeably. Heredity is a feature or trait we acquire from our parents and thus the parents are responsible for the specific trait that the offspring inherited. Whereas, Evolution is a process that takes longer duration and is dependent on the predecessors of the offspring. Evolution in a way can be said to be a trait that some organism acquires to survive in a certain environment.
