Name ________________________
Inherited Traits and Learned Behaviors
Vocabulary – S5L2.a,b
Word
inherited trait
offspring
innate behavior
heredity
genes
dominant gene
recessive gene
Punnett Square
genotype
phenotype
learned behavior
Definition
A physical characteristic or an innate behavior(instinct) that is
passed on from parent to offspring before birth
Examples of physical characteristics: hair color, dimples,
height, skin color, shape of a leaf, etc.
Examples of innate behaviors(instincts): the ability to laugh or
cry, a dog barking, a bird building a nest, a plant growing
towards the sunlight, etc.
Babies of parents
A behavior passed from parent to offspring (instinct)
Example: spider spinning a web
The passing of traits from parents to offspring before birth
Tiny parts of a cell that contain hereditary information; they
control how traits develop in an organism
The gene that always shows up
The gene that only shows up when the dominant gene is not
present
A graph created by Reginald Punnett to help scientists predict
how inherited traits will be passed from parents to offspring
The double letter pattern in a Punnett Square
Example: A=blue feathers (dominant) a=red feathers(recessive)
Aa - genotype
The actual trait represented by the genotype
Aa=blue feathers Blue feathers is the phenotype.
Behavior that is acquired through learning