What term describes the change in hereditary material passed from parents to offspring?

The term that describes the change in hereditary material passed from parents to offspring is inheritance. Inheritance refers to the process by which genetic information is transmitted from parent organisms to their offspring through genes. This transmission includes traits and characteristics that are encoded in the DNA of the parents and are passed down to the next generation, leading to a resemblance between parents and their offspring.

Inheritance is a fundamental concept in genetics, emphasizing how traits can be passed down through generations, shaped by the unique combinations of alleles inherited from both parents. It encompasses various mechanisms, such as Mendelian inheritance, which focuses on dominant and recessive traits, and more complex interactions involving multiple genes.

Other terms, such as mutation, evolution, and adaptation, pertain to different biological processes. Mutation denotes permanent changes in the DNA sequence, evolution refers to the process by which populations change over generations due to genetic variations and other factors, and adaptation describes the changes in species that occur over time in response to environmental pressures. While these processes can influence inheritance, they are distinct from the concept of inheritance itself.