Get <Passed Along to> Offspring

[NewAmerica]

If I rewrite "Get Passed Along to Offspring" as "Get Passed to Offspring", will the meaning remain the same? What is the nuance here? "Along" gives me the impression that it emphasizes the process while "passed to" stressed the result. I am not sure.

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How Dad’s Stresses Get Passed Along to Offspring
Mouse studies show tiny intercellular pods convey to sperm a legacy of a father’s hard knocks in life
A stressed-out and traumatized father can leave scars in his children. New research suggests this happens because sperm “learn” paternal experiences via a mysterious mode of intercellular communication in which small blebs break off one cell and fuse with another.

Source: Scientific American

 

[dojibear]

"Passed along" has the same basic meaning as "passed". It is not a phrasal verb. Instead "along" is an adverb. Definition 7 of "along" in the WR dictionary says it is an adverb meaning "from one person or place to another", with the example sentence:

The order was passed along.

Often this word adds a nuance that this passing will continue: A passes it to B, who will pass it to C, and so on. Genetic inheritance often uses the phrase "passed along".

The prepositional phrase "to offspring" describes an indirect object. For the verb "pass", the direct object is the thing being passed, and the indirect object is the person it is passed to. So you cannot omit "to": it is syntax, not nuance.

If I rewrite "Get Passed Along to Offspring" as "Get Passed to Offspring", will the meaning remain the same?

Yes, that would mean the same.

 

[NewAmerica]

Thank you.