Traits Organisms and Environments

Key Concept 1: Some traits are inherited from parent to offspring, while other behaviors are learned during an organism’s lifetime.

Passage An inherited trait is a physical characteristic that is passed on from parents to offspring. Some of these traits in humans include curly hair, freckles, or eye ______. An animal’s ______behaviors are developed through interaction with their environment. For example, raccoons learn to ______lids off trash cans to search for food. Raccoons that do not live around trash cans do not ______they are a source of food. This type of behavior is not inherited or passed on from parent to offspring by genetics but is learned during the organism’s lifetime.

Illustration: Draw an example of inherited or learned trait of an organism.

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Key Concept 2: Inherited characteristics are things such as hair color, the shape of a beak, and spines on a cactus.

Passage Have you ever heard anyone say, “You look just like your father!” or “She has her mother’s eyes!”? They are noticing the ______features of the face. Traits such as hair color, nose shape, eye color, and dimples are passed down from ______to child. Even

______plants pass traits on to the next generation. For example, the seed from a pine tree will sprout a new ______tree, not an oak tree. Plants and animals alike pass along inherited characteristics that equip the species to survive.

Illustration: Sketch a plant or animal and label the inherited traits.

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Key Concept 3: Acquired characteristics can include learned behaviors such as a child riding a bicycle or animals learning tricks, but can also include physical characteristics such as a scar.

Passage An acquired characteristic in an organism usually results from the effects of their environment and cannot be inherited. Imagine you are riding your bicycle. You crash and end up with a bad ______on your knee. More than likely, you will have a ______after the cut heals, and the scar will remain for the rest of your life. That scar would be an ______characteristic because you were not born with it. Plants and other animals develop acquired characteristics as well. A tree that is struck by lightning could be split in ______or have a large gash in its trunk, but the offspring or seedlings will not have that trait because it was not ______by the parent plant.

Illustration: Draw an organism with an acquired characteristic. Label.

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