Question

is skin color polygenic or environmental?

• neither; skin color is a codominant trait where offspring are the average skin tone of their parents.
• polygenic; there are multiple genes that contribute to a person’s skin tone.
• environmental; people living closer to the equator tend to have darker skin.
• multifactorial; there are multiple genes and environmental factors that contribute to a person’s skin tone.

Explanation:

Skin color is influenced by multiple genes (polygenic) and environmental factors like UV exposure (environmental), so it is multifactorial. The first option is wrong because codominance doesn’t describe skin color inheritance. The second misses environmental influences. The third ignores genetic contributions. The fourth correctly accounts for both genetic and environmental factors.

Answer:

Multifactorial; there are multiple genes and environmental factors that contribute to a person's skin tone.