What does it mean that a pig gives birth to nine babies or even ten mothers?

Variation refers to the difference between parents and offspring. Genetic phenomenon refers to the similarity between parents and children. "A pig gives birth to nine babies, even ten mothers are the same", which reflects the different characteristics of parents and offspring, thus reflecting the biological variation. This problem involves the genetic level. Because the diversity of genes determines the diversity of species, that is, gene recombination, not gene mutation.

Extended data

Similarities and differences between parents and offspring of living things. An essential difference between living things and non-living things is that living things can replicate themselves, thus forming a continuous life system.

Heredity is the phenomenon that offspring repeat the characteristics (traits) of parents in this continuous system, and its essence is the genetic material-gene brought to offspring by gametes produced by parents. The same genes stipulate the same traits of biological development, so they are hereditary, which reflects the stability of the biological world. But this stability is relative, because it is inevitable that the structure of genes will change at this time or that time in the long-term development of generations.

The gene whose structure has changed makes the development of the organism different from that before the change, so there is variation (heritable variation). Genetic variation gives new content to heredity, and also enables the long-lived continuous system of organisms to develop and evolve continuously. Without inheritance, it is impossible to maintain the relative stability of traits and species; Without variation, there will be no new traits, and there will be no species evolution and new variety breeding.

References:

Inheritance and variation _ Baidu Encyclopedia