Ohio 5th Grade Science OST Practice Test

Inheritance is the passing of genetic information from parents to offspring. Traits like eye color, seed shape, or fur pattern come from genes, which are passed down when organisms reproduce. Each parent contributes genes, so the offspring inherit a combination that determines their inherited traits. This is different from traits that change because of the environment, like getting a tan from sun exposure, or from processes like choosing mates or forming new species, which are not about passing genes directly from one generation to the next.