A Trait That Appears When the Liability Exceeds a Certain

Question

A trait that appears when the liability exceeds a certain level is known as a(n)
A) liability trait.
B) quantitative trait.
C) threshold trait.
D) qualitative trait.
E) phenotypic trait.

Accepted Answer

A threshold trait is a trait that only appears when the liability exceeds a certain threshold level. This means that an individual must possess a certain amount of liability (either inherited or acquired through environmental factors) before the trait will manifest. This is different from a quantitative trait, which shows a continuous distribution across a range of values, or a qualitative trait, which is determined by the presence or absence of particular alleles.