Inherited traits can be influenced by the environment.
Each day, 25,000 people, including more than 10,000 children, die from hunger and related causes. Nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 are attributable to undernutrition.
[CER] What environmental factors most affect the traits that an organism develops?
Make a claim. Provide your evidence and justify your reasoning. |
/ Ii / Investigate
1. Nature v. Nurture - investigate how the environment affects the inherited green color trait in Nicotiana.
2. Environmental Factors in plants - investigate the impacts of environmental factors on plants such as soil type, water, or fertilizer and how it may influence an organism's observable traits. 3. Colorado Corn - investigate how changes in the environment affected variation in inherited traits of corn. |
/ Iii / Level Up!
During this lesson you will learn more about why individuals of the same species vary in how they look, function, and behave.
✎Notes:
- Offspring acquire a mix of traits from their biological parents.
- Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information.
- In each kind of organism there is variation in the traits themselves, and different kinds of organisms may have different versions of the trait.
- The environment also affects the traits that an organism develops—differences in where they grow or in the food they consume may cause organisms that are related to end up looking or behaving differently.
/ IV / choose your path
ACCOMPLISHED [+3 points]
Explain how not getting enough exercise may influence your inherited traits. ADVANCED [+4 points]
Is the variation of the sunflowers below the result of inherited traits or a result of environmental factors? What evidence can you observe or gather to support your explanation? |
/ V / Knowledge Check
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 1999 - 2020, US obesity increased from 30.5% to 41.9%. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. These are among the leading causes of preventable, premature death. The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the United States was nearly $173 billion dollars in 2019. Medical costs for adults who had obesity were $1,861 higher than medical costs for people with healthy weight.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a tool used to estimate and screen for overweight and obesity in adults and children. BMI is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. BMI is related to the amount of fat in the body. A high amount of fat can raise the risk of many health problems. A health care professional can determine if a person’s health may be at risk because of his or her weight.
BMI Percentile Calculator for Child and Teen
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a tool used to estimate and screen for overweight and obesity in adults and children. BMI is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. BMI is related to the amount of fat in the body. A high amount of fat can raise the risk of many health problems. A health care professional can determine if a person’s health may be at risk because of his or her weight.
BMI Percentile Calculator for Child and Teen
✓ MASTERY CHECK
National Research Council 2012. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13165
This site contains original content that may not be authorized for use by the creator and is legally used under the fair use principles section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1986 (17 U.S. Code § 107)
The official NGSS website. https://www.nextgenscience.org
LS3.B, 3-LS3-2
Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment. (Cause and Effect) [3-LS3-2]
This site contains original content that may not be authorized for use by the creator and is legally used under the fair use principles section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1986 (17 U.S. Code § 107)
The official NGSS website. https://www.nextgenscience.org
LS3.B, 3-LS3-2
Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment. (Cause and Effect) [3-LS3-2]