What is the Difference Between Polygenic Inheritance and Pleiotropy?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between polygenic inheritance and pleiotropy lies in the number of genes involved in controlling a trait and the number of traits affected by a single gene, respectively.
Polygenic Inheritance:
- Involves multiple genes contributing to a single trait.
- One trait is controlled by multiple genes.
- Traits often form a phenotypic spectrum rather than falling into clear-cut categories.
- Many genes work together to make a specific characteristic, such as height, skin pigmentation, or hair color.
Pleiotropy:
- Occurs when one gene affects multiple traits.
- A single gene has many phenotypic consequences.
- One gene can have an effect on a certain characteristic and another separate characteristic, such as Marfan syndrome, where a single gene mutation can lead to heart defects and a tall, thin build.
- Examples include albinism, phenylketonuria, autism, sickle cell anemia, and Marfan syndrome.
In summary, polygenic inheritance involves multiple genes contributing to a single trait, while pleiotropy involves a single gene affecting multiple traits.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Polygenic Inheritance and Pleiotropy? Comparative Table: Polygenic Inheritance vs Pleiotropy
Comparative Table: Polygenic Inheritance vs Pleiotropy
Here is a table comparing the differences between polygenic inheritance and pleiotropy:
Feature | Polygenic Inheritance | Pleiotropy |
---|---|---|
Definition | Polygenic inheritance refers to the control of a single phenotypic trait by multiple genes. Pleiotropy occurs when one gene influences two or more seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits. | |
Gene-Trait Relationship | In polygenic inheritance, multiple genes contribute to a single trait. In pleiotropy, one gene affects multiple unrelated traits. | |
Phenotypic Spectrum | Polygenic inheritance often results in a phenotypic spectrum, where traits form a continuous range rather than clear-cut categories. Pleiotropy, on the other hand, can result in discrete phenotypes influenced by a single gene. | |
Environmental Influences | Environmental factors can significantly impact traits in polygenic inheritance. Environmental influences are usually less significant in pleiotropy. | |
Examples | Height, skin color, eye color, and weight in humans are examples of polygenic inheritance. Albinism, phenylketonuria, autism, sickle cell anemia, and Marfan syndrome are examples of pleiotropy. |
In summary, polygenic inheritance involves multiple genes contributing to a single phenotypic trait, while pleiotropy involves a single gene influencing multiple unrelated phenotypic traits.
Read more:
- Monogenic vs Polygenic Inheritance
- Epistasis vs Pleiotropy
- Multifactorial vs Polygenic Traits
- Multiple Alleles vs Polygenic Traits
- Genetic Disorders vs Polygenic Diseases
- Genetics vs Heredity
- Mendelian vs Non Mendelian Inheritance
- Polymorphism vs Inheritance
- Blending Theory vs Mendelian Inheritance Theory
- Genetics vs Epigenetics
- Apomorphy vs Plesiomorphy
- Polymorphism vs Allotropy
- Aneuploidy vs Polyploidy
- Heredity vs Hereditary
- Codominance vs Multiple Alleles
- Cytoplasmic Inheritance vs Nuclear Inheritance
- X linked vs Y linked Inheritance
- Genetic Variation vs Genetic Diversity
- Multiple vs Multilevel Inheritance