Topic 3C.2 Interactions: Genes and the Environment

operon

a unit of linked genes which is thought to regulate the other genes responsible for protein synthesis

discontinuous variation

phenotypic features which are either present or not, usually inherited on one or at most a small number of genes

continuous variation

phenotypic features which show a huge range of values; they are usually polygenic and are also affected by environmental factors

twin studies

studies carried out on identical twins over time, in order to try and separate the effects of genes and environment