A pedigree shows a trait appearing in every generation, affecting males and females equally, and every affected child has an affected parent. The trait is most likely

Core Concept

An autosomal dominant trait with high penetrance often appears in successive generations, affects males and females similarly, and can be transmitted by an affected parent to children of either sex. Real pedigrees can deviate because of incomplete penetrance, new mutation, small family size, or other factors, so 'dominant traits never skip generations' is too absolute.