inheritable

Inheritable is an adjective describing traits or conditions that can be transmitted from parent to offspring. In genetics, the related term heritable is more commonly used, referring to genetic or other transmissible factors that can pass through generations. In general usage, inheritable can also describe culturally transmitted or learned characteristics, but in scientific contexts it typically implies genetic transmission.

An inheritable trait may be passed through genetic material such as DNA and, in some cases, through other heritable mechanisms like mitochondrial DNA or epigenetic marks. Not all inheritable traits are purely genetic in the classic sense, and some traits can be influenced by both inherited factors and environmental conditions. Conversely, not every member of a family will express an inheritable trait in the same way due to penetrance, expressivity, and modifying environmental factors.

Heritability is a statistical concept used to describe how much of the variation of a trait in a population is due to genetic differences among individuals. It is expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (or 0% to 100%), and depends on the environment. A trait can have high heritability in one setting and low heritability in another, and heritability does not describe a trait for any single individual nor identify specific genes.

Examples of inheritable traits range from monogenic disorders, such as those caused by a single-gene mutation, to polygenic characteristics like height or eye color, which arise from the combined effects of many genes and environmental influences. Understanding inheritable traits involves genetics, epidemiology, and evolutionary biology.

See also: heritability, genetic inheritance, pedigree, inheritance.