Which type of inheritance pattern involves the cumulative effects of multiple genes?

Polygenic inheritance refers to a pattern of inheritance where multiple genes, often located on different chromosomes, collectively influence a single trait. This contrasts with simple inheritance, where a single gene determines a trait, leading to a more straightforward Mendelian ratio in offspring. In polygenic inheritance, the combined effects of several genes result in a continuous range of phenotypes, such as height or skin color in humans, rather than discrete categories.

The cumulative interaction of these multiple alleles can lead to a bell-shaped distribution of phenotypes in a population, reflecting the additive nature of their effects. Traits governed by polygenic inheritance typically do not follow Mendelian ratios; instead, they show more variability and do not neatly fit into dominant and recessive categories.

Understanding polygenic inheritance is essential for fields such as genetics, anthropology, and medicine, as it helps explain the complexity of traits influenced by many genes, unlike the simpler inheritance patterns presented in other types, such as dihybrid inheritance, which focuses on two genes, or sex-linked inheritance, which deals with genes found on sex chromosomes.