quantitative inheritance

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quantitative inheritance The inheritance of a character (known as a quantitative character or trait) that depends upon the cumulative action of many genes, each of which produces only a small effect. Examples of such quantitative characters include clutch size in birds, milk production in cattle, and weight and skin pigmentation in humans. Usually the character shows continuous variation (i.e. a gradation from one extreme to the other). Compare QUALITATIVE INHERITANCE.

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