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Human height is affected by many genes, so it is a ___________ trait.

A. Pleiotropic
B. Codominant
C. Polygenic
D. Epigenetic

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Human height is an example of a polygenic trait, which is influenced by the interaction of multiple genes and can show a great deal of variability within a population.

Step-by-step explanation:

Human height is affected by many genes and is therefore considered a polygenic trait. This means that multiple genes contribute to determining a person's height, each gene potentially having multiple alleles that vary in the population. Height can be measured and exhibits a wide range of variability, both indicators of polygenic inheritance. In addition, environmental factors can also influence these traits, adding to their complexity.

Examples of polygenic traits in humans, in addition to height, include skin color, eye color, and weight. Because of this, such traits do not follow a simple Mendelian inheritance pattern, but rather the combined effect of several genes leads to a range of possible phenotypes. This complexity is why polygenic traits like human height exhibit much variation within the population.

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