Module 6 Mendelian Genetics

Lesson 3.6.7

Lesson 7—Genes and the Environment

Get Focused

Nature verses nurture. Have you heard the ongoing debate over which is the strongest influence on a person’s life? While this debate is more focused on innate qualities versus personal experiences, it has relevance in genetics too. Our environment can significantly influence our genes. Sun exposure triggers all kinds of genes to be expressed in plants and animals. Exposure to water can change the development of leaves in the same plants. Changes in temperature cause the expression of dark pigment in some rabbits and in Siamese cats. These are very specific examples, but just how much the environment affects gene expression is open for more discussion.

In this lesson, you will examine the effect the environment may have on the expression of genes.

In this lesson, the following focusing question will be examined:

• How does the environment affect the expression of genes?

This lesson will take approximately 60 minutes to complete.

Module 6: Lesson 7 Assignment

There is no assignment for this lesson.

The other questions and activities in this lesson are not marked by the teacher; however, you should still attempt all of the work offered here. They are designed to help you review important information and build key concepts that may be applied in future lessons.

Here is a tutorial video for this lesson that you can watch if it suits your learning style.  Bio30 3.6.7 Gene Interactions