What are Inherited Traits? What are Acquired Traits?

Inherited plant characteristics are characteristics that plants receive from their parents. It’s similar to how humans may inherit traits from a parent, like eye color or hair type. In plants, these inherited traits can include things like their flowers’ color, their leaves’ formation, or how tall they grow.

On the other hand, acquired plant traits are not handed down from parents but are things that plants develop or acquire during their lifetime. These traits can be impacted by the conditions in which the plant grows. For example, if a plant doesn’t get sufficient water, it might create slightly smaller leaves to decrease water loss.

Inherited vs. Acquired Traits Reading Comprehension

Explore the world of plants and learn about inherited and acquired traits with an engaging reading comprehension passage and worksheet. With this worksheet, your students will learn about the surprising variety of inherited and acquired traits that plants possess. Finally, the reading comprehension worksheet will test your students’ understanding with thought-provoking questions and a rigorous reading skill review.

Download and Print Your Plant Traits Worksheet with Ease!

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This resource was created by Kaylyn Chupp, a teacher in Florida and Teach Starter Collaborator.