Heredity vs. Variation

Main Difference

The 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

Comparison Chart

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.

Conclusion

The 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.