A Local Example of Human Pigmentation -- ANSWERS
Some times, a
person has inconsistent melanin production is their skin cells, their hair or
even their eye pigments. They
will appear different from most of the population. Some such
people will differ but only some of the time. Don't forget
that genetics is only one of the two
variables that determines pigmentation. The other
variable is E N V I R O N M E N T A L
exposure to the
sun.
Many years ago,
a then current biology student "Bob", volunteered that he had such uneven
pigmentation in his arms and hands as did
others in his family. It certainly sounds like this was
a(n) H E R E D I T A R Y trait.
"Bob" came back to class several times over several years
to have his arms photographed for class
discussion. Here are the results of those photos.
14 A
In this photo (14A) taken
during his senior year, his hands look normal. This
is because in W I N T E R, he was exposed to much less
L I G H T to trigger
his skin cells to produce the P I G M E N T
melanin.
14 B
14 C
In the photo
on the left (14 B) taken during the end of his sophomore year and
the photo on the right (14 C) taken during the start of his
junior year, "Bob's"
hands appear to be blotchy in pigmentation. This is
because in both S P R I N G
& S U M M E R, his hands have been exposed to much
L I G H T and only
those regions with the G E N E for M
E L A N I N production make enough
of this chemical to tan his arms and hands.