Lesson 1 Variation

Objectives:

Core

1. Describe variation as differences between individuals of the same species
2. State that continuous variation results in a range of phenotypes between two extremes; examples include body length and body mass
3. State that discontinuous variation results in a limited number of phenotypes with no intermediates; examples include ABO blood groups, seed shape in peas, and seed colour in peas
4. State that discontinuous variation is usually caused by genes only and continuous variation is caused by both genes and the environment
5. Describe mutation as genetic change
6. State that mutation is the way in which new alleles are formed
7. State that ionizing radiation and some chemicals increase the rate of mutation

Supplement

1. Describe gene mutation as a random change in the base sequence of DNA
2. State that mutation, meiosis, random mating, and random fertilization are sources of genetic variation in populations