Textbook ExpertVerified Tutor
22 Dec 2021
Background and context
Acquired characteristics (or characters) are changes in the structure or function of an organism that result from use, disuse, environmental influences, disease, mutilation, etc., such as a muscle that grows through use or mice that have their tails cut off. The theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics, or "soft inheritance", posits that an organism experiencing such modification can pass on such character to its offspring.
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