Final answer:
Trait Variation refers to differences in heritable characteristics within a species, essential for natural selection. Genetic variance and environmental factors contribute to this diversity, aiding conservation efforts and studies on species evolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
Trait Variation within a species is crucial for natural selection and evolutionary processes. Traits are the variations in the physical appearance of a heritable characteristic. Genetic variance contributes to the diversity of alleles and genotypes within a population, affecting traits like plant height, seed shape, and flower color as observed by Mendel. The phenotypic diversity is also influenced by environmental factors, such as sun exposure on skin color or temperature-dependent sex determination in some reptiles. Increasing a population's genetic variance is essential for conservationists breeding species in captivity to reduce inbreeding and maintain phenotypic diversity. Moreover, population variation is evident in the distribution of phenotypes across a population, such as the fur colors in domestic dogs.
Phylogenetic Species and Trait Variation:
The Biological Species Concept's reliance on interbreeding behavior makes distinguishing interspecific from intraspecific variation difficult, which is especially problematic in the fossil record. Nonetheless, understanding the genetic basis of traits and their heritability, and maintaining genetic diversity, is important for identifying new species and studying population evolution.