What is polygenic inheritance?

Question

What is polygenic inheritance?

Answer 1

This means that a trait is governed by more than one pair of genes.

You see this in traits that have a range of phenotypes possible instead of just a couple: height, intelligence, etc.

Answer 2

Polygenic or polygene is a group of non-allelic genes that together control quantitative characteristics in an organism.

In Biology as well as ecology, an organism usually is an existing compound adaptive system of organs which persuade each other in such a manner that they function in certain way as a constant whole. The beginning of life on earth and the relationship amid its chief pedigrees is contentious. Two key positions can be distributed into the prokaryotes and eurakaryotes. The prokaryotes are normally though to symbolise two separate domains, known as the bacteria and Archaea.

The opening amid prokaryotes and eukaryotes is extensively thought to be the key missing link in evolutionary history. The pair of eukaryotic organelles, known as mitochodria and chloroplast, is said to be derived from the endosymbiotic bacteria.

Answer 3

Polygenic inheritance or quantitative inheritance refers to inheritance of a phenotypic characteristic (trait) that is attributable to two or more genes and their interaction with the environment. Unlike monogenic traits, polygenic traits do not follow patterns of Mendelian inheritance (qualitative traits). Instead, their phenotypes typically vary along a continuous gradient depicted by a bell curve.[1]

An example of a polygenic trait is human skin color. Many genes factor into determining a person's natural skin color, so modifying only one of those genes changes the color only slightly. Many disorders with genetic components are polygenic, including autism, cancer, diabetes and numerous others. In fact, most phenotypic characteristics are the result of the interaction of multiple genes.

One of the major problems in genetics during the early part of the 20th century involved the following question: If Mendel's ideas were correct then how can one explain the inheritance of quantitative traits? Statistical research suggested that for quantitative traits the offspring of a cross tended to be intermediate in appearance between the two parents. For instance if one parent is tall and the other short, the offspring tend to be intermediate in height. In other words, the offspring in a cross tend to be a blend of both parents. This presents a problem for evolution, since for evolution to happen by natural selection requires the presence of genetically based variation in the value of a quantitative traits. Yet if offspring tend toward the mean value of the trait for the two parents then, the necessary variation for evolution to happen would be lost. The inheritance of quanitative traits is typically viewed in terms of what is called polygenic inheritance.

Answer 4

I agree with ecolink. One way to tell if a trait is polygenic is to look for a wide variety. For example, hair color in humans....you can have from the whitest white to the blackest black with everything in between. If you take an integrated group of 200 people and asked them to line up according to hair color, it would be a smooth transition from one shade to the next. This happens because many genes influence hair color in humans.

Answer 5

i guess it is the inheritance pattern of a trait manipulated by more than a single gene. the Genes might be similar or different chromosomes and also each gene might have more than a single alleles.