Difference Between Inherited & Environmental Traits

Every organism has inherited traits as well as those acquired through environmental influences, according to the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Parents pass on genetic traits through DNA, while environmental factors can determine what the DNA actually does.

DNA

• DNA molecules form genes. These then group together in strands to form chromosomes, which parent cells pass on to the next generation. Normally, the chromosomal material each new cell receives from a parent is identical to that of the parent, according to the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.

Environment

• Under identical conditions, offspring with identical DNA will be identical. However, studies on identical twins have shown they never stay identical as they develop. The environment of one twin never exactly duplicates that of the other, according to the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.

DNA Expression

• A child may have an inherited trait, like susceptibility to tuberculosis, but unless he or she has exposure to TB in the environment, the disease will not develop. The degree to which DNA is or is not expressed depends on the environment. Ultimate expression requires both heredity and environment.