describe what heredity is and how it works in mice
Heredity is the passing of genetic traits and characteristics from parents to offspring. This process is controlled by genes, which are segments of DNA that determine specific traits such as eye color, fur texture, and behavior.
In mice, heredity works through the transmission of genes from parents to offspring through their reproductive cells. Each parent contributes one set of genes to their offspring, with offspring inheriting half of their genetic material from each parent. This means that offspring can display a combination of traits from both parents.
For example, if a parent mouse has a specific gene for brown fur and another parent mouse has a gene for white fur, their offspring may inherit one gene for brown fur and one gene for white fur. As a result, the offspring may have a combination of brown and white fur, or they may express one color more dominantly than the other based on the inheritance pattern.
Overall, heredity in mice follows the same principles as in other organisms, with genetic traits being passed down from generation to generation through the transmission of genes.