Question

Differentiate between inherited and acquired traits.

Answer 1

Hint: Some traits in the living organisms are genetically determined and are passed from one generation to another while some are not genetic and influenced by the environment.

Complete answer:
The trait is a distinguishing quality or characteristic, typically belonging to a specific person. It is a genetically defined characteristic. Inherited means got from parents and acquired means obtained through the course of its own life.
The following are the differences between inherited and acquired traits.

Inherited trait	Acquired trait
Inherited traits are transferred from parents to offsprings	Acquired traits are not transferred from the parents to the offsprings.
The genes of the inherited traits are present in the DNA of the germ cell	The acquired traits do not bring any changes to the germ cell but bring changes in the somatic (body) cells
Examples of inherited traits are knowledge, skills, etc.	Examples of acquired traits are hair color, skin color, etc.

Additional Information:
- Gregor Mendel first explained the concept of inherited traits in his experiments with the pea plant. He depicted that the traits that are visible in the phenotype (observable traits) are called the dominant traits, while the traits that are not visible are known as the recessive traits.
- Acquired traits develop due to the effects of environmental factors, the use, and disuse of organs, and other special efforts.
- The human body contains 25000 to 35000 genes in a single cell. These genes carry the traits that an individual has inherited from one generation to the other generation.
Note: Lamarck initially proposed that the acquired traits could be passed on from the parents to the offspring making the organism more suitable to the environment. Darwin, later on, discarded this hypothesis from his publication– Theory of Evolution, once he had enough evidence to prove that the acquired traits are not passed on from one generation to another.