Types of variation

Variation is all the differences which exist between members of the same species. There are two kinds of variation; continuous and discontinuous. You should be able to give some examples of each.

Continuous variation is when there is a range of values between two extremes. Some examples of continuous variation are :

• height
• weight
• heart rate
• milk yield
• leaf length

Discontinuous variation is when there are clear cut differences where the choice is between one type and another. Some examples of discontinuous variation are:

• tongue rolling
• type of earlobe
• eye colour
• blood groups