For most continuously varying characters, offspring are intermediate between their parents because
A) of blending inheritance.
B) genetic transmission involves faithful copying of the genes themselves and their reassembly into different combinations in zygotes.
C) mutation is constantly introducing new alleles, some of which will produce new phenotypes.
D) natural selection reduces variation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Continuously varying characters are controlled by multiple genes and are not affected by blending inheritance. The reason why offspring are intermediate between their parents is due to the random assortment of genes during meiosis and genetic recombination that occurs during fertilization. This results in new combinations of alleles and different phenotypes. Mutation and natural selection also play a role in shaping variation, but they do not explain why offspring are intermediate between their parents.

For Most Continuously Varying Characters, Offspring Are Intermediate Between Their