Variation
may be caused by environmental factors or inherited
factors.
Environmental
Variation
Both
plants and animals are affected by the environment
in which they live. In humans environmental variation
is affected by our upbringing. For example, if I were born in
China, I would have learnt to speak Chinese from an early age.
Scars and dyed hair are other examples of environmental
variation. Plants are also affected by environmental
variation. The temperature, amount of light, amount of water
and soil conditions will all affect how well a plant grows.
Some examples of environmental variation are shown in the pictures
below.
Genetic
Variation
This
is caused by features that are passed on from our parents. In
humans our natural hair colour, natural eye colour and blood
group are all examples of genetic variation. Like animals, plants
also inherit characteristics from their 'parents'. Some examples
of Genetic variation are shown below.
Environmental
and Genetic Variation
Some
factors depend on both environmental and genetic variation.
In fact, very few features of plants and animals are totally
unaffected by the environment. In humans, how tall or how heavy
somebody is can be affected by their diet as well as by genes
inherited from their parents. We might inherit features from
our parents which might make us good at music or sport but we
will still need to practice.
