Heredity vs. Variation
Main DifferenceThe main difference between Heredity and Variation is that Heredity is the method that transfers characters, some resemblances, and also the differences to the offspring from parents, whereas Variation shows some visible differences represents by the individuals within the offspring and species.

Difference Between Heredity and Variation
Heredity vs. Variation
The heredity is the transfer of a unique set of traits from parents to their offspring; on the contrary, the variation is the cause of producing observable changes within the species in a population.
Heredity vs. Variation
The heredity transfers some parental characteristics, resemblances, and as well as the differences in the offspring from their parents; on the other hand, the variation represents some visible differences in a population within the species and offspring.
Heredity vs. Variation
The heredity does not play any part in the diversity of a population; on the flip side, the variation plays an important role and is responsible for the diversity within the population.
Heredity vs. Variation
Heredity does not take part in the process of evolution; conversely, variation takes part in evolution by introducing many new phenotypic characters within the species.
Heredity vs. Variation
Attached earlobe vs. free earlobes, flat feet vs. arches, seed type, flower color, genetic diseases are some types of heredity; on the other hand, hair color, skin color, eye color, freckles, dimples, etc. are some types of variation.
Hereditynoun
Hereditary transmission of the physical and genetic qualities of parents to their offspring; the biological law by which living beings tend to repeat their characteristics in their descendants.
Variationnoun
The act of varying; a partial change in the form, position, state, or qualities of a thing
Hereditynoun
the biological process whereby genetic factors are transmitted from one generation to the next
Variationnoun
A related but distinct thing.
When the process didn't work, we tried a variation.All of his soups are variations on a single recipe.Hereditynoun
the total of inherited attributes
Variationnoun
(nautical) The angular difference at the vessel between the direction of true north and magnetic north.
magnetic declinationVariationnoun
(board games) A line of play that differs from the original.
Variationnoun
(music) A technique where material is repeated with alterations to the melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, texture, counterpoint or orchestration; but with some invariant characteristic, e.g. a ground bass.
Variationnoun
(genetics) The modification of a hereditary trait.
Variationnoun
(astronomy) Deviation from the mean orbit of a heavenly body.
Variationnoun
an instance of change; the rate or magnitude of change
Variationnoun
an activity that varies from a norm or standard;
any variation in his routine was immediately reportedVariationnoun
a repetition of a musical theme in which it is modified or embellished
Variationnoun
something a little different from others of the same type;
an experimental version of the night fighteran emery wheel is a modern variant of the grindstonethe boy is a younger edition of his fatherVariationnoun
an artifact that deviates from a norm or standard;
he patented a variation on the sandalVariationnoun
the angle (at a particular location) between magnetic north and true north
Variationnoun
(astronomy) any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite (especially a perturbation of the earth's moon)
Variationnoun
(biology) an organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration
Variationnoun
(ballet) a solo dance or dance figure
Variationnoun
the act of changing or altering something slightly but noticeably from the norm or standard;
who is responsible for these variations in taxation?Comparison Chart
Heredity | Variation |
Heredity is defined as the passing down of specific characters from generation to generation in the species. | Variation is known as the changes which occur in the traits of an individual of a species. |
Introduction | |
The procedure which takes part in the transfer of characters, some resemblances and as well as some differences to the offspring from the parents | Shows some observable differences in the individual occurs within the offspring and species |
Diversity of a Population | |
The heredity does not occur the diversity in the population of species | Plays a role in the diversity within the population |
Evolution | |
The heredity does not influence the process of evolution | Leads to evolution in the population by presenting new phenotypic types to the species |
Refers To | |
Refers to the passing down of characters from one generation to the other | Refers to the differences that occur in characteristics shown by organisms of a species |
Examples | |
Attached vs. free earlobes, Flat feet vs. arches, seed type, flower color, some genetic diseases, etc | Skin color, eye color, freckles, dimples, hair color, etc |
Heredity vs. Variation
The procedure which takes part in the transfer of characters, some resemblances, and as well as some differences to the offspring from the parents is heredity. On the other hand, variation shows some observable differences in the individual that occurs within the offspring and species. The heredity does not occur the diversity in the population of species. On the contrary, the variation plays a role in the diversity within the population.
The heredity does not influence the process of evolution; on the flip side, the variation leads to evolution in the population by presenting new phenotypic types to the species. The heredity refers to the passing down of characters from one generation to the other; on the other hand, the variation refers to the differences that occur in characteristics shown by organisms of a species.
Some examples of heredity are attached vs. free earlobes, flat feet vs. arches, seed type, flower color, some genetic diseases, etc. On the contrary, some examples of variation are skin color, eye color, freckles, dimples, hair color, etc.
What is Heredity?
Heredity is known as the transfer of characters from parents to their offsprings through sexual reproduction. The concept of heredity is mostly “like beget like.” This concept means that all living or existing organisms be likely to produce offspring which resemble themselves.
On the account, heredity is the main reason for causing similarities from generation to generation in a particular species. The transmission of parental genetic material does the transfer of similar characters from parents to offspring through sexual reproduction.
The transferable characters identify the hereditary characters among offspring. The identical twins are likely to have the same genetic material, but their phenotypic characters could be varied under the influence of many environmental factors.
The organisms obtain exact similar copies of their parents in asexual reproduction, while in sexual reproduction, half of the genes come from mother, and half of them are from father. So, offspring is more likely to be similar to their parents than any other non-related individual.
Though the genetic work determines the external appearance or phenotype of the offspring, for example, some tall plants could become stunted when they are in a harsh environment because of lack of water and other nutrients. Some examples of heredity are Attached vs. free earlobes, Flat feet vs. arches, seed type, flower color, some genetic diseases, etc.
What is Variation?
Many phenotypic characters in an offspring may be similar to the parents, but some phenotypic characters are not, and these different phenotypic characters are known as the variation in the individual within the species. The differences in characteristics is also known as the variation.
The variation plays a role in the diversity within the population. Some examples of variation are skin color, eye color, freckles, dimples, hair color, etc.
Types of Variation
- Hereditary Variation: The variation which is caused by some changes which occur in the structure or function of the gene, which is normally inherited from parent to offspring, is known as hereditary variation.
- Environmental Variation: The particular genotype may be influenced by some environmental factors such as temperature, food, light, humidity, and some other external factors, and in result, produce two different phenotypes. The two phenotypic variations which arise from the same genotype is known as the environmental variation.
- Somatic Variation: The variation which occurs in the somatic cells of the body is known as somatic variation. Like somatic cells, they are not inherited to the offspring, so their influence is considered insignificant. The somatic cells are also known as acquired variations since they are adapted during the lifetime of an individual.
- Germinal Variation: The variations which occur in the reproductive cells (germ cells) of the body is known as germinal variation. The germinal variation is considered inheritable to the offspring from parents, and it also provides rare constituents to take part in the evolution.
- Continuous Variation: The variation, which is considered small and unclear, that may change with some environmental factors, is known as continuous variation. The continuous variation does not influence evolution because they do not take part in heredity. The most common type of variations which occur between the individuals in a population is continuous variation.
- Discontinuous Variation: The variation which is considered large, clear, have sudden variations, and is less affected by the environmental factors is known as the discontinuous variation. As discontinuous variation takes part in evolution through natural selection, so these variations are considered heritable.
ConclusionThe above discussion concludes that the heredity and variation bring out in the result of the sexual reproduction of organisms. Heredity plays a role in the transfer of a unique set of characteristics from ancestors to offspring, while variation is the observable difference in the traits of species in a population.