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acquired character
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greylag. Flock of Greylag geese during their winter migration at Bosque del Apache National Refugee, New Mexico. greylag goose (Anser anser)
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heredity
life
Lamarckism
living things
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acquired character

biology
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acquired character, in biology, modification in structure or function acquired by an organism during its life, caused by environmental factors. With respect to higher organisms, there is no evidence that such changes are transmissible genetically—the view associated with Lamarckism—but, among protozoans and bacteria, certain induced changes are heritable.