What are multifactorial traits?

Multifactorial traits are characteristics influenced by a combination of genetic factors and environmental conditions. This means that multiple genes contribute to the expression of these traits, and their manifestations can vary significantly depending on environmental influences. For example, traits such as height, weight, skin color, and susceptibility to certain diseases exemplify multifactorial inheritance, as they are not determined by a single gene but rather by the interaction of several genes and various external factors including nutrition, lifestyle, and even climate.

In contrast, the other options focus on narrower definitions of traits that do not account for the complexity of multifactorial traits. Traits determined solely by genetics would not capture the influence of environmental factors, while traits that are rare in populations do not represent the typical characteristics associated with multifactorial inheritance. Lastly, uniform traits across individuals suggest a lack of variation, which contradicts the essence of multifactorial traits that display a range of expressions influenced by different factors.