What are the basic units of inheritance?

What are the basic units of inheritance?

• A. Genes
• B. Chromosomes
• C. Gametes
• D. Zygotes

Answer: (A)

Genes are the basic units of inheritance. They are specific sequences of DNA that carry the information needed to produce proteins or regulate biological processes, which in turn determine traits. Each gene can have different versions, or alleles, and the combination inherited from parents shapes the trait. Genes live on chromosomes, but a chromosome contains many genes and other DNA; the inheritance that affects a trait comes from the genes themselves, not the entire chromosome. Gametes pass these genes to offspring, and the zygote is the fertilized cell that starts development. So the element that directly transmits hereditary information for traits is the gene.

Genes are the basic units of inheritance. They are specific sequences of DNA that carry the information needed to produce proteins or regulate biological processes, which in turn determine traits. Each gene can have different versions, or alleles, and the combination inherited from parents shapes the trait. Genes live on chromosomes, but a chromosome contains many genes and other DNA; the inheritance that affects a trait comes from the genes themselves, not the entire chromosome. Gametes pass these genes to offspring, and the zygote is the fertilized cell that starts development. So the element that directly transmits hereditary information for traits is the gene.