discontinuous variation
What discontinuous variation means in Biology A-Level, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of discontinuous variation
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Reference: OCR
Distinct categories, such as ABO blood group or flower colour, usually controlled by one gene or a few genes with distinct alleles, with little environmental effect on the category.
Variation in discrete categories, usually controlled by one or a few genes with little environmental influence.
Topics that use discontinuous variation
- Evolution may lead to speciation (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
- Patterns of inheritance (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- continuous variation
- genetic drift
- random fertilisation
- Allele frequencies
- allele frequency change
- Alleles, genotypes and phenotypes
- allopatric speciation
- Autosomal linkage
Using discontinuous variation in the exam
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