Activity No.1
Exploring Genetic Traits / Heredity and Variations Among Organisms
Introduction:
Genetics is a branch of biology which attempts to describe similarities and differences among
organisms (Variation) and explain the way by which these characteristics are transmitted through
generations (Heredity). The central theme in genetics is the gene. The gene may be defined as a unit of
heredity. Genes provide the blueprint that determines the traits of an organism.
Genetic variation is the foundation of evolution and is critical to understanding life. The various
observable characteristics /features by which we recognize an organism constitute its phenotype. It can
be classified as morphological or structural, physiological, behavioural and sexual traits. Trait is any
detectable phenotypic variation of a particular inherited character.
Offspring do not inherit phenotypes from their parents, rather they inherit the genes- potential
or the ability to produce traits. However, the expression of the phenotype is due to the influence of genes
and environment.
Objectives:
1. Observe variations among individuals of the same species.
2. List down and classify human traits as to:
a. morphological or structural, physiological, behavioural and sexual traits
b. inherited or acquired
3. List down and classify traits in plants.
4. Explain the importance of variation and enumerate the factors that cause variation.
Procedure:
A. Variation in Humans
1. Examine yourself and describe the features that you see based on the descriptions of traits in
Table 1. For traits that you cannot observe directly ask your classmate to help. These traits
listed are controlled either by a dominant or recessive allele.
Table 1. List of human traits
Traits
Tongue rolling
Earlobe shape
Hairline
Thumb
Hand clasp
Chin
Mid-digital
hair
Dimples
Color
blindness
Height
Weight
Identification of Dominant traits
stick out your tongue and try to roll up the sides so that
the tongue forms a U shape
examine if the lobe of the ear hangs freely below the
point of attachment to the head
the midpoint of the hairline along the front of the
forehead points downward
when extended from the palm of the hand, the top
segment of the thumb forms a straight line with the
bottom segment
when the hands are crossed in a natural fashion, the
left thumb crosses over the right
the center of the chin has an indentation resembling a
deep dimple
hair is present on the middle section of any of the
fingers.
indentation on the cheek
one cannot distinguish certain colors, like red from
green or blue from yellow
measure in meters
measure in kg
Dominant
Roller
Recessive
Non-roller
Free
attached
Widow’s
peak
Straight
straight
Hitchhiker’s
thumb
Left over
right
cleft
Right over
left
Not cleft
Mid-digital
absent
dimpled
Color blind
absent
normal
2. Make a table for your observation as indicated and fill out table 2 in the worksheet.
3. Compare your traits with that of your classmates. Show a table of class data. Fill out Table 3
in the worksheet.
a. Note the trait(s) that are most prevalent among your classmates. Do any two people
in the class have exactly the same combination of phenotypes for the traits studied?
Is there evidence that a trait shared by most of the population is not controlled by a
dominant allele?
b. Based on the data from Tables 1 and 2, operationally define morphological traits.
5. In addition to the traits studied, what others do humans possess? Make a list of these traits
and classify them using table 4 in the worksheet. An example been listed for your guide.
6. Behavioural traits may be inherited or learned. Make a list of these traits and classify them
as indicated in the table 5.
B. Variations in Plants
1. Examine five corn and five papaya plants as well as Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (gumamela) and
Bougainvillea glabra (bougainvilla) flowers.
a. List down all observable traits and classify them according to morphological, physiological
and sexual traits.
b. Do plants have behavioral traits? Justify your answer.
c. What are the factors contributing to variation?
d. What is the importance of variation?
Analysis: The cell is the smallest unit of life (Shwann et al, 1946)
Conclusion:
References: Shwann, T., Scheiden, M. 1946. The Cell.
WORKSHEET 1
Exploring Genetic Traits / Heredity and Variations Among Organisms
Group No.:
Members:
4
Barredo, Kristine
Isnain, Organo
Organo, Christian
Date Performed: August 16, 2022
Date Submitted: August 22, 2022
INTRODUCTION
In the birth of humanity, to prolong life is to continue reproducing, and in this continuous
reproduction, various characteristics of the human body either retain one of the characteristics of their
parents or none at all which are all recognized by genetics.
Through rigorous research, humankind has been able to recognize organics, in the microscopic
world beneath the skin, and sink deeper into what comprises such entities. Spawning realization in the
mechanics that understood how genetics work. Genetics may be defined as the study of genes of
organisms, including how they comprise most cells that dictate the characteristics (called phenotypes)
that a being carries, and how such characteristics are transmitted from parents to offspring (called
heredity).
It is amazing how each individual is unique and similar to one another. By studying genetics, one
could open endless possibilities for human development. In this activity, we’ll be exploring how genetic
variation works.
OBJECTIVE
1.) Investigate variations in characteristics of various individuals
2.) List and categorize traits in humans and plants.
3.) Identify the factors of genetic variation and understand its importance.
PROCEDURE
Variation in Humans
1.) Using table 1 as a guide, classify your personal traits listed as either dominant or recessive.
2.) Then, collect the same data from the rest of the class in table 3 for comparison. Answer the
queries that follows.
3.) In table 4, list down other human traits and classify them accordingly.
4.) In table 5, list down behavioural traits that can be learned or inherited.
Variation in Plants
1.) In table 6, list down traits of the observed plant and classify them accordingly and answer
queries that follows.
RESULTS/DATA:
Table 2. Personal Traits.
Erich Isnain’s traits
Trait
Tongue rolling
Earlobe shape
Hairline
Thumb
Hand clasp
Chin
Mid-digital hair
Dimples
Color blindness
Height
Weight
Kristine Barredo’s traits
Trait
Phenotype
Tongue rolling
Roller
Earlobe shape
Attached
Hairline
Straight
Thumb
Hitchhiker’s thumb
Hand clasp
Right over left
Chin
Not cleft
Mid-digital hair
Mid-digital
Dimples
absent
Color blindness
Normal
Height
1.61544 m
Weight
54kg
Phenotype
Roller
Free
Straight
Straight
Right over left
Not cleft
Mid-digital
Absent
Normal
1.70688 m
76 kg
Christian Organo’s traits
Trait
Tongue rolling
Earlobe shape
Hairline
Thumb
Hand clasp
Chin
Mid-digital hair
Dimples
Color blindness
Height
Weight
Phenotype
Roller
Attached
Straight
Hitchhiker’s thumb
Right over left
Cleft
Mid-digital
Absent
Normal
1.73736 m
55 kg
Table 3. Class data.
Name
Zeus
Tongue
Earlobe
Hairline Thumb
D
D
D
✓
✓
✓
Kristine
R
R
D
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Aries
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Rhyza
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
James
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓ ✓
✓
✓
✓
Erich
✓
Edmyra Joy
✓
✓
✓
Christian
✓
✓
✓
✓
Dianne
✓
✓
Gabriella
✓
✓
Tricia
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓ ✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓ ✓
✓
✓
✓ ✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
R
Color
blindness
D
R
✓
Rocklin
Richelle
Dimples
✓
✓
D
MDhair
D R
D
✓
R
Chin
R
✓
✓
Achselle
April Joy
R
Hand
clasp
D R
✓ ✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Figure 1. Percentage of Phenotypes.
Trait
Dominant
Tongue rolling
Earlobe shape
Hairline
Thumb
Hand clasp
Chin
Mid-digital hair
Dimples
Color blindness
Recessive
9 (60%)
9 (60%)
2 (13.33%)
11 (73.33%)
7 (46.67%)
2 (13.33%)
10 (66.66%)
5 (33.33%)
0 (0%)
6 (40%)
6 (40%)
13 (86.67)
4 (26.67%)
8 (53.33%)
13 (86.67)
5 (33.34%)
10 (66.67%)
15 (100%)
Note the trait(s) that are most prevalent among your classmates.
a. Do any two people in the class have exactly the same combination of phenotypes for the traits
studied?
According to the data, there was no two people who possessed the exact same phenotypes
being studied. Although there were a lot of similarities but fall short in one or two trait
differences.
b. Is there evidence that a trait shared by most of the population is not controlled by a dominant
allele?
In the same data, there are a lot of recessive traits shared among the given population that is
not controlled by dominant allele and these traits were: color blindness, dimples, chin, and
hairline.
c. Based on the data from Tables 1 and 2, operationally define morphological traits.
We define morphological traits as those physical characteristics possessed by an individual that
can be easily seen and traits that set people unique or similar to one another.
Table 3.1 Male height and weight
Name
Height (m)
Weight (kg)
Carlos
1.76
69
James
1.76
64
Roland
1.76
61
Jimmy
Aries
1.76
54
1.73
1.73
1.73
60
60
57
1.70
1.70
71
65
Kenneth
1.70
1.70
60
55
Rolando
1.67
62
Gabriel
1.64
1.58
1.55
59
48
45
Peter
Jomar
Joseph
Juan
Jose
Danielle
Joshua
Table 3.2 Female Height and weight
Name
Height (cm)
Weight (kg)
Gloria
1.70
59
Reyna
1.70
1.67
51
68
Jossie
1.67
1.67
68
65
Nenita
1.67
65
Mary jane
Aljorie
1.67
1.67
60
55
Rebecca
Evelyn
Regine
1.64
1.64
1.64
65
54
50
Luzviminda
1.61
58
Ailyn
Laiza
Maria
1.61
1.61
56
55
1.58
49
Judith
Flordeliza
Table 4. Classification of traits. As many as you like.
Morphological
Physiological
Sexual
height
Inability to absorb glucose due to absence of insulin
genitalia
Size
Bone growth of estrogen
Pubic hair
Curly hair
Due to oval follicle
Mustache
Hip shape
Part of pubertal process and estrogen cause a widening of
the pelvis as a part of sexual differentiation
Adam's apple
Dimple
Anomaly of the muscles in the face
Pregnancy
Handedness
Environmental factors in the womb (including exposure to
hormones) influences the favor of the handedness
Beard
Hair color
Abundance of eumelanin
Hormones
Eye color
Having large amount of melanin in the iris
Behavior
Freckles
Overproduction of melanin in the skin
Menstruation
Overweight
Eating too much and moving too little
Demeanor
Muscular
Repair or replace muscle fibers through cellular process
Muscles
Table 5. Behavioral traits.
Inherited
Learned/acquired
Tongue rolling
Scars
Handedness
Tattoos
Hand clasping
Hairstyles
Hobby
Attitude
Clothing
Ear piercing
Table 6. Classification of plant traits. Name as many as you can.
Snake Plant
Morphological
Physiological
Sexual
• round-like leaves
• long leaves
• stripes color
pattern
- Purifiers air by
observing toxins
through the leaves
and producing pure
oxygen
- Store water in their
lives and can survive
drought
Propagation
from division
• sword-like leaves
• shorter leaves
• unclear color
pattern
- Purifiers air by
observing toxins
through the leaves
and producing pure
oxygen
- Store water in their
lives and can survive
drought
Propagation
from division
• long leaves
• stripes color
pattern
• has yellow stripe on
the edge of the
leaves
• stripes color
pattern
- Purifiers air by
observing toxins
through the leaves
and producing pure
oxygen
- Store water in their
lives and can survive
drought
Propagation
from division
• stripe color pattern
• long leaves
- Purifiers air by
observing toxins
through the leaves
and producing pure
oxygen
- Store water in their
lives and can survive
drought
Propagation
from division
• short leaves
• stripe color pattern
- Purifiers air by
observing toxins
through the leaves
and producing pure
oxygen
- Store water in their
lives and can survive
drought
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
The purpose of this activity was to explore the human variations that our neighbors and peers
have for comparison and analysis. Including the observation of plant variations in understanding genetic
variation.
In this activity, the exploration of different traits of individuals from the class list and as well as
target participants obtained from the neighbourhood yielded learnings. In table 2, containing the personal
traits of individuals that comprise this group, showed physical similarities between one another. In the
matter, it was revealed that the group possessed more recessive traits than dominant ones upon
comparison. No one had color blindness, the group had mid-digital hairs, had hands clasping right over
left, and had a straight hairline. In table 3, concerning the traits of the CLASS BSED3A, it was revealed that
while most have a lot of similarities but none had the exact same traits that check all of the lists as 1 or 2
traits fall short. Figure 1 was made from this table to obtain a clean percentage of the dominant or
recessive traits possessed by the class. In the figure, there were more recessive traits possessed by the
population than dominant ones with a ratio of 5:4.
In table 3.1 and 3.2 which concerned the height and weight of males and females, show varied
data. There were tall and short individuals who were either light or heavy which was difficult to make
assumptions on whether height is connected to weight due to how random data was. Although, one can
assume that the height and weight are not connected to one another are affected not only by genetics
but by habitual factors. According to a study, It is also found that the effect of height on weight both for
male and female students is highly significant. Also, the given participants have different lifestyle that
makes their weight and height to highly unlikely affect one another. In the classification of traits under
table 4, morphological traits are listed together with physiological and sexual where the connection and
relevance between them are established. In table 5, behavioral traits are listed. Here, the characteristics
listed are those that are given through heredity and those that can be acquired through learning.
In table 6, Snake plants was put in observation and investigated its traits. Variation of its kind were
out in focus. We found that as each had their different physical characteristics especially in color, pattern,
length and size. One had yellow borders lining the leaves, had different patterns in different shades of
green, had shorter and wider sized leaves, and another was plain looking. The variations in these plants
are varied only in appearance as we found no evidence of physiological traits being different with one
another.
Assessment Questions:
a. How will you define nature vs. nurture? Which do you think will contribute more
to the phenotype of the individual? Support your answer.
In our opinion, variations done by nature simply mean that traits are inherited and is
dictated by our genetic coding unlike nurture whose variation is done by the effects
of the environment. According to Mcleod, Nature is what we think of as pre-wiring
and is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors while Nurture is
generally taken as the influence of external factors after conception, e.g., the
product of exposure, life experiences and learning on an individual.
We think that nurture contributes more to the phenotypes of the individual because
those done by nature take a longer time to occur where changes are only done
through genetic expression when mutation occurs. There are a lot of things in the
environment that can influence how these genes are expressed like drugs and
chemicals. With the emergence of different inventions and innovations, these
factors are upsized exponentially. That is why scientists are subjecting organisms
under their study in a controlled environment.
b. How would you know that the cause of variation is genetic or environmental?
Support your answer.
In order to know which is which, it is important to understand how variation works
in terms of these two mentioned. According to Lakna on Pedia, genetic variation is
the variation of genomes between individuals in the same species and
environmental variation is the alteration of the phenotype of a particular genotype
as a response to the environment.
Meaning, genetic variation are variations embedded in the genetic coding as it
changes through numerous combinations, its variation is caused internally. In
contrast, environmental variations are changes to the features through adaptation
and it is caused by external factors.
To know whether a variation is genetic or external is to understand whether a
certain phenotype (trait or characteristics) is of genetic origin, those that are
equipped by birth between those that are dependent on the environment and be
easily change to achieve survivability. On one hand, Physical traits like height are
genetic because it can’t easily be dictated by outside factors but weight, on the
other, can be affected as it depends on habits that an individual possesses.
c. List down all observable traits and classify them according to morphological,
physiological and sexual traits.
Traits
fleshy
Sharply pointed
Sword shape leaves
Light grey green Horizontal stripes
small
Classification
succulent plants
thorns
linear
Succulent plants
herbaceous
d. Do plants have behavioural traits? Justify your answer.
Yes, Plants have memory, and their behaviours change based on their previous
experiences or the experiences of their parents. Plants communicate with one
another, as well as with herbivores and mutualism. They both emit and respond to
cues that cause predictable reactions in other organisms.
e. What are the factors contributing to variation in the genetic and population levels?
The factors in genetic variation are mutation, random mating between
organisms, random fertilization, crossing over (or recombination) between
chromatids of homologous chromosomes during meiosis.
A mutation is a change that occurs in our DNA sequence, either due to mistakes
when the DNA is copied or as the result of environmental factors such as UV light and
cigarette smoke.
Random mating – a panmictic population is one where all individuals are
potential partners. This assumes that there are no mating restrictions, neither genetic
nor behavioural, upon the population and that therefore all recombination is
possible.
Random fertilization increases genetic diversity. When a male gamete and a
female gamete finally meet, each is the result of an immense number of genetic
possibilities created during independent assortment and crossing over
Crossing-over occurs during prophase I, and it is the exchange of genetic material
between non-sister chromatids of homologous chromosomes. During prophase I,
homologous chromosomes line up in pairs, gene-for-gene down their entire length,
forming a configuration with four chromatids, known as a tetrad
The last three of these factors reshuffle alleles within a population, giving
offspring combinations which differ from their parents and from others.
f.
What is the importance of variation?
Variation enables organisms to adjust and adapt better according to the changing
conditions of the environment. Also, different kinds of variations in organisms lead to
the development of new species that are a better fit for the harsh environmental
conditions.
CONCLUSION:
Variation is important as it contributes to the longevity and survivability of organisms and the
factors that causes it are either genetic(inherited, environmental(acquired, honed or learned) or a mix of
both. The phenotypes of each individual varies according to such causes and are vital to the organism.
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20such%20as%20diet,ultimately%20affects%20the%20animal's%20phenotype.
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