A mother cat is a calico, with orange, black, and white fur. She has three kittens—an orange female, a black and orange female, and a black female. Did she reproduce sexually or asexually? Choose the option that has the best evidence to support your choice.(1 point)
Based on the given information, it is most likely that the mother cat reproduced sexually. This is because calico coat color in cats is a result of genetic recombination, which occurs during sexual reproduction. Calico cats are almost always female and have two X chromosomes. The combination of the X chromosomes determines the unique color pattern of the calico coat. In this case, the mother cat has three kittens with different coat colors, suggesting that she reproduced sexually and passed on her combination of X chromosomes to her offspring.
Based on the information provided, it can be inferred that the mother cat reproduced sexually. This is because calico fur coloration is linked to the presence of two X chromosomes in female cats. In sexual reproduction, offspring inherit traits from both parents, including the combination of chromosomes that determine fur color. In this case, the mother cat's calico fur color indicates that she possesses two X chromosomes, one of which carries the black fur allele and the other carries the orange fur allele. The presence of different fur colors in her three kittens suggests that they inherited a combination of the mother cat's alleles along with the alleles carried by the father cat.
Based on the description provided, it is most likely that the mother cat reproduced sexually. Here's the explanation:
To determine whether a cat reproduces sexually or asexually, we need to consider the genetic diversity in the offspring. Sexual reproduction involves the combination of genetic material from two parents, resulting in offspring that inherit traits from both parents.
In this case, the mother cat is calico, which is a coat color pattern associated with a specific gene called the "orange and black allele." This gene is found on the X chromosome. This means that the mother cat must have inherited one X chromosome with the orange allele and one X chromosome with the black allele from her parents.
The three kittens have different coat colors: orange, black and orange, and black. This indicates that the kittens have inherited different combinations of the mother cat's alleles for coat color. Since the kittens have different genetic characteristics, it suggests that the mother cat reproduced sexually with a male cat that had different alleles for coat color.
Therefore, based on the evidence of the different coat colors of the kittens and the presence of alleles from both parents, it is reasonable to conclude that the mother cat reproduced sexually.