This article is about the transfer of characteristics from parent to offspring. For the academic journal, seeHeredity (journal). For other uses, seeHeredity (disambiguation).
Heredity of phenotypic traits: a father and son withprominent ears and crowns.DNA structure.Bases are in the centre, surrounded by phosphate–sugar chains in adouble helix.
In humans,eye color is an example of an inherited characteristic: an individual might inherit the "brown-eye trait" from one of the parents.[1] Inherited traits are controlled bygenes and the complete set of genes within an organism'sgenome is called itsgenotype.[2]
The complete set of observable traits of the structure and behavior of an organism is called itsphenotype. These traits arise from the interaction of the organism's genotype with theenvironment.[3] As a result, many aspects of an organism's phenotype are not inherited. For example,suntanned skin derives from the interaction between a person's genotype and sunlight;[4] thus, suntans are not passed on to people's children. However, some people tan more easily than others, due to differences in their genotype:[5] a striking example is people with the inherited trait ofalbinism, who do not tan at all and are very sensitive tosunburn.[6]
Heritable traits are known to be passed from one generation to the next viaDNA, amolecule that encodes genetic information.[2] DNA is a longpolymer that incorporates four types ofbases, which are interchangeable. TheNucleic acid sequence (the sequence of bases along a particular DNA molecule) specifies the genetic information: this is comparable to a sequence of letters spelling out a passage of text.[7] Before a cell divides throughmitosis, the DNA is copied, so that each of the resulting two cells will inherit the DNA sequence. A portion of a DNA molecule that specifies a single functional unit is called agene; different genes have different sequences of bases. Withincells, the long strands of DNA form condensed structures calledchromosomes. Organisms inherit genetic material from their parents in the form ofhomologous chromosomes, containing a unique combination of DNA sequences that code for genes. The specific location of a DNA sequence within a chromosome is known as alocus. If the DNA sequence at a particular locus varies between individuals, the different forms of this sequence are calledalleles. DNA sequences can change throughmutations, producing new alleles. If a mutation occurs within a gene, the new allele may affect the trait that the gene controls, altering the phenotype of the organism.[8]
However, while this simple correspondence between an allele and a trait works in some cases, most traits are more complex and are controlled bymultiple interacting genes within and among organisms.[9][10] Developmental biologists suggest that complex interactions in genetic networks and communication among cells can lead to heritable variations that may underlie some of the mechanics indevelopmental plasticity andcanalization.[11]
Recent findings have confirmed important examples of heritable changes that cannot be explained by direct agency of the DNA molecule. These phenomena are classed asepigenetic inheritance systems that are causally or independently evolving over genes. Research into modes and mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance is still in its scientific infancy, but this area of research has attracted much recent activity as it broadens the scope ofheritability and evolutionary biology in general.[12]DNA methylation markingchromatin, self-sustainingmetabolic loops, gene silencing byRNA interference, and the three dimensionalconformation of proteins (such asprions) are areas where epigenetic inheritance systems have been discovered at the organismic level.[13][14] Heritability may also occur at even larger scales. For example, ecological inheritance through the process ofniche construction is defined by the regular and repeated activities of organisms in their environment. This generates a legacy of effect that modifies and feeds back into the selection regime of subsequent generations. Descendants inherit genes plus environmental characteristics generated by the ecological actions of ancestors.[15] Other examples of heritability in evolution that are not under the direct control of genes include the inheritance ofcultural traits,group heritability, andsymbiogenesis.[16][17][18] These examples of heritability that operate above the gene are covered broadly under the title ofmultilevel or hierarchical selection, which has been a subject of intense debate in the history of evolutionary science.[17][19]
WhenCharles Darwin proposed his theory ofevolution in 1859, one of its major problems was the lack of an underlying mechanism for heredity.[20] Darwin believed in a mix of blending inheritance and the inheritance of acquiredtraits (pangenesis). Blending inheritance would lead to uniformity across populations in only a few generations and then would remove variation from a population on which natural selection could act.[21] This led to Darwin adopting someLamarckian ideas in later editions ofOn the Origin of Species and his later biological works.[22] Darwin's primary approach to heredity was to outline how it appeared to work (noticing that traits that were not expressed explicitly in the parent at the time of reproduction could be inherited, that certain traits could besex-linked, etc.) rather than suggesting mechanisms.[citation needed]
Darwin's initial model of heredity was adopted by, and then heavily modified by, his cousinFrancis Galton, who laid the framework for thebiometric school of heredity.[23] Galton found no evidence to support the aspects of Darwin's pangenesis model, which relied on acquired traits.[24]
Aristotle's model of inheritance. The heat/cold part is largely symmetrical, though influenced on the father's side by other factors, but the form part is not.
Scientists inAntiquity had a variety of ideas about heredity:Theophrastus proposed that male flowers caused female flowers to ripen;[26]Hippocrates speculated that "seeds" were produced by various body parts and transmitted to offspring at the time of conception;[27] andAristotle thought that male and female fluids mixed at conception.[28]Aeschylus, in 458 BC, proposed the male as the parent, with the female as a "nurse for the young life sown within her".[29]
Ancient understandings of heredity transitioned to two debated doctrines in the 18th century. The Doctrine of Epigenesis and the Doctrine of Preformation were two distinct views of the understanding of heredity. The Doctrine of Epigenesis, originated byAristotle, claimed that an embryo continually develops. The modifications of the parent's traits are passed off to an embryo during its lifetime. The foundation of this doctrine was based on the theory ofinheritance of acquired traits. In direct opposition, the Doctrine of Preformation claimed that "like generates like" where the germ would evolve to yield offspring similar to the parents. The Preformationist view believed procreation was an act of revealing what had been created long before. However, this was disputed by the creation of thecell theory in the 19th century, where the fundamental unit of life is the cell, and not some preformed parts of an organism. Various hereditary mechanisms, includingblending inheritance were also envisaged without being properly tested or quantified, and were later disputed. Nevertheless, people were able to develop domestic breeds of animals as well as crops through artificial selection. The inheritance of acquired traits also formed a part of early Lamarckian ideas on evolution.[citation needed]
During the 18th century, Dutch microscopistAntonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723) discovered "animalcules" in the sperm of humans and other animals.[30] Some scientists speculated they saw a "little man" (homunculus) inside eachsperm. These scientists formed a school of thought known as the "spermists". They contended the only contributions of the female to the next generation were the womb in which the homunculus grew, and prenatal influences of the womb.[31] An opposing school of thought, the ovists, believed that the future human was in the egg, and that sperm merely stimulated the growth of the egg. Ovists thought women carried eggs containing boy and girl children, and that the gender of the offspring was determined well before conception.[32]
An early research initiative emerged in 1878 whenAlpheus Hyatt led an investigation to study the laws of heredity through compiling data on family phenotypes (nose size, ear shape, etc.) and expression of pathological conditions and abnormal characteristics, particularly with respect to the age of appearance. One of the projects aims was to tabulate data to better understand why certain traits are consistently expressed while others are highly irregular.[33]
The idea of particulate inheritance of genes can be attributed to theMoravian[34] monkGregor Mendel who published his work on pea plants in 1865. However, his work was not widely known and was rediscovered in 1901. It was initially assumed thatMendelian inheritance only accounted for large (qualitative) differences, such as those seen by Mendel in his pea plants – and the idea of additive effect of (quantitative) genes was not realised untilR.A. Fisher's (1918) paper, "The Correlation Between Relatives on the Supposition of Mendelian Inheritance" Mendel's overall contribution gave scientists a useful overview that traits were inheritable. His pea plant demonstration became the foundation of the study of Mendelian Traits. These traits can be traced on a single locus.[35]
In the 1930s, work by Fisher and others resulted in a combination of Mendelian and biometric schools into themodern evolutionary synthesis. The modern synthesis bridged the gap between experimental geneticists and naturalists; and between both and palaeontologists, stating that:[36][37]
All evolutionary phenomena can be explained in a way consistent with known genetic mechanisms and the observational evidence of naturalists.
Evolution is gradual: small genetic changes, recombination ordered bynatural selection. Discontinuities amongst species (or other taxa) are explained as originating gradually through geographical separation and extinction (not saltation).
Selection is overwhelmingly the main mechanism of change; even slight advantages are important when continued. The object of selection is thephenotype in its surrounding environment. The role ofgenetic drift is equivocal; though strongly supported initially byDobzhansky, it was downgraded later as results from ecological genetics were obtained.
The primacy of population thinking: the genetic diversity carried in natural populations is a key factor in evolution. The strength of natural selection in the wild was greater than expected; the effect of ecological factors such as niche occupation and the significance of barriers to gene flow are all important.
The idea thatspeciation occurs after populations are reproductively isolated has been much debated.[38] In plants, polyploidy must be included in any view of speciation. Formulations such as 'evolution consists primarily of changes in thefrequencies of alleles between one generation and another' were proposed rather later. The traditional view is that developmental biology ('evo-devo') played little part in the synthesis, but an account ofGavin de Beer's work byStephen Jay Gould suggests he may be an exception.[39]
Almost all aspects of the synthesis have been challenged at times, with varying degrees of success. There is no doubt, however, that the synthesis was a great landmark in evolutionary biology.[40] It cleared up many confusions, and was directly responsible for stimulating a great deal of research in the post-World War II era.
An example pedigree chart of an autosomal dominant disorderAn example pedigree chart of an autosomal recessive disorderAn example pedigree chart of a sex-linked disorder (The gene is on theX chromosome.)
The description of a mode of biological inheritance consists of three main categories:
These three categories are part of every exact description of a mode of inheritance in the above order. In addition, more specifications may be added as follows:
Gene coupling with other loci (also seecrossing over)
Homozygotous lethal factors
Semi-lethal factors
Determination and description of a mode of inheritance is also achieved primarily through statistical analysis of pedigree data. In case the involved loci are known, methods ofmolecular genetics can also be employed.
Anallele is said to be dominant if it is always expressed in the appearance of an organism (phenotype) provided that at least one copy of it is present. For example, in peas the allele for green pods,G, is dominant to that for yellow pods,g. Thus pea plants with the pair of alleleseitherGG (homozygote)orGg (heterozygote) will have green pods. The allele for yellow pods is recessive. The effects of this allele are only seen when it is present in both chromosomes,gg (homozygote). This derives fromZygosity, the degree to which both copies of a chromosome or gene have the same genetic sequence, in other words, the degree of similarity of the alleles in an organism.
Hereditary defects inenzymes are generally inherited in an autosomal fashion because there are more non-X chromosomes than X-chromosomes, and a recessive fashion because the enzymes from the unaffected genes are generally sufficient to prevent symptoms in carriers.
On the other hand, hereditary defects in structural proteins (such asosteogenesis imperfecta,Marfan's syndrome and manyEhlers–Danlos syndromes) are generally autosomal dominant, because it is enough that some components are defective to make the whole structure dysfunctional. This is adominant-negative process, wherein a mutated gene product adversely affects the non-mutated gene product within the same cell.
^Visscher PM; Hill WG; Wray NR (2008). "Heritability in the genomics era – concepts and misconceptions".Nat. Rev. Genet.9 (4):255–266.doi:10.1038/nrg2322.PMID18319743.S2CID690431.
^Oetting WS; Brilliant MH; King RA (1996). "The clinical spectrum of albinism in humans and by action".Molecular Medicine Today.2 (8):330–335.doi:10.1016/1357-4310(96)81798-9.PMID8796918.
^Griffiths, Anthony, J.F.; Wessler, Susan R.; Carroll, Sean B.; Doebley J (2012).Introduction to Genetic Analysis (10th ed.). New York: W.H. Freeman and Company. p. 3.ISBN978-1-4292-2943-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Wu R; Lin M (2006). "Functional mapping – how to map and study the genetic architecture of dynamic complex traits".Nat. Rev. Genet.7 (3):229–237.doi:10.1038/nrg1804.PMID16485021.S2CID24301815.
^Griffiths, Anthony, J.F.; Wessler, Susan R.; Carroll, Sean B.; Doebley, John (2012).Introduction to Genetic Analysis (10th ed.). New York: W.H. Freeman and Company. p. 14.ISBN978-1-4292-2943-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Negbi, Moshe (Summer 1995). "Male and female in Theophrastus's botanical works".Journal of the History of Biology.28 (2):317–332.doi:10.1007/BF01059192.S2CID84754865.
^Hipócrates (1981).Hippocratic Treatises: On Generation – Nature of the Child – Diseases Ic. Walter de Gruyter. p. 6.ISBN978-3-11-007903-6.
^Gould S.J.Ontogeny and phylogeny. Harvard 1977. pp. 221–222
^Handschuh, Stephan; Mitteroecker, Philipp (June 2012). "Evolution – The Extended Synthesis. A research proposal persuasive enough for the majority of evolutionary biologists?".Human Ethology Bulletin.27 (1–2):18–21.ISSN2224-4476.
