What two factors directly affect the traits of an organism?

Answer 1

How the genes for the trait are inherited

If the trait imparts more fitness for survival.

Answer 2

Genetic makeup and environmental factors are the two main influences on the traits of an organism. Genetic makeup determines the inherited characteristics, while environmental factors like diet, climate, and social interactions can also shape the expression of those traits.

Answer 3

D

Answer 4

Genotype: The phenotype is limited by the genotype. An organism can't display a characteristic if there is no gene for it.

Epigenetics: Epigenetics affects the expression of genes. If a gene is present but not expressed, the organism can't display the corresponding characteristic.

Environment: The environment can affect traits directly by changing the behavior or appearance of an organism while the corresponding gene is unchanged. Environmental factors can also affect gene expression.

The organism's genotype determines the possible traits of the phenotype, but the corresponding genes have to be active for the trait to appear. Epigenetics studies gene expression in cells, and many genes are not active.

Different factors such as available nutrients, organism age and signals sent by other cells determine whether a cell expresses a gene or not.

To express a gene, a cell has to first make a copy of the gene from the original DNA code in the cell nucleus. The genetic code is copied to messenger RNA, which exits the nucleus and finds a cell ribosome to synthesize the corresponding protein from the coded sequence.

The protein gives the cell the characteristic, feature or capability that leads to the phenotype trait in the organism. The cell can block or regulate this process to make more, less or no protein.

The process of gene expression means that a phenotype such as hair color can change during the life of an organism even though the genetic code remains the same. The original gene set for a specific hair color remains in place, but some of the genes in the set are expressed more or less strongly as the cell regulates expression of a gene up or down.

For hair color, the gene in question may directly influence dark hair color, or it may cause a hormone or enzyme to be produced that affects the color of hair.