Difference Between Acquired And Inherited Traits
The primary difference between acquired and inherited traits is that acquired traits are acquired during an organism’s lifetime and do not pass to the following generation, whereas inherited traits are acquired from the preceding generation and are passed on to the following generation through reproduction.
Inherited traits are qualities or variants that genes encode in DNA and pass from parent to offspring during reproduction, while acquired traits are phenotypic/physical attributes influenced by environmental variables but not passed on to the next generation.
What Are Acquired Traits?
The traits a person acquires over the course of a lifetime are known as acquired traits. These don’t get passed down from generation to generation.
What Are Inherited Traits?
Inherited traits can pass to the next generation since they are encoded in our DNA. Examples include eye color, height, skin tone, and hair color. The differences that come from reproduction may be passed down through families, increasing the likelihood that entities will survive.
Difference Between Acquired And Inherited Traits
Both the acquired and inherited traits are the traits of an organism, that are influenced by environment and genes respectively. Here are the key differences between acquired and inherited traits
Inherited Traits | Acquired Traits |
They are heritable. They can pass generation to generation. | They are inheritable and are acquired during the lifespan of an organism. |
These changes occur due to the influence of genes. | These changes occur due to the environmental influence. |
They are present in an organism by birth. | These traits appear as a result of experiences in a lifetime. |
These traits are caused by genetic variations. | Genetic variations are not involved in these traits. |
These are caused by changes in DNA. | Changes in DNA have no effect on acquired traits. |
Genes encode these changes in DNA. | These changes are not encoded in DNA. |
They play important role in evolution. | They are not involved in evolution. |
Skin complextion, hair color and eye color are the examples of inherited traits. | Muscle development by bodybuilders is an example of acquired traits. |