Biology · Class 10

Heredity and Genetics

Heredity is the passing of traits from parents to offspring through genes. Genetics is the science of heredity and genes. Understanding genetics helps

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Can two brown-eyed parents have a blue-eyed child?

Yes, if both parents are heterozygous Bb. Each parent can pass the recessive b allele, resulting in a bb blue-eyed child. This is common because brown eyes are dominant, so many brown-eyed people carry the blue-eye allele.

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What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?

Genotype is the genetic makeup, the combination of alleles. Phenotype is the observable characteristic resulting from the genotype and environment. For example, BB and Bb genotypes may both show the same brown-eye phenotype.

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How do mutations cause genetic variation?

Mutations are random changes in DNA sequence. Most are neutral or harmful, but some create new alleles. These new alleles add to genetic variation in a population. Over generations, beneficial mutations increase in frequency through natural selection.

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