Final answer:
Continuous variation describes traits that change gradually over a range with no clear breaks, such as human height, differing from distinct, discontinuous variation that was studied by Mendel.
Step-by-step explanation:
Traits that vary continuously from one phenotypic extreme to the other with no clear-cut breaks in between are known as continuous variation. Continuous variation is an inheritance pattern in which a character shows a range of trait values with small gradations rather than large gaps between them. This type of variation often produces a bell-shaped curve in a population, with the majority of individuals having traits in the middle of the range and fewer individuals at the extreme ends. This concept is different from discontinuous variation, where traits are distinct and show large differences between them. An example of continuous variation is human height, where there are many possible heights without distinct categories, in contrast to Mendel's pea plant traits, such as flower color, which displayed discontinuous variation.