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.
The mother cat most likely reproduced sexually. Sexual reproduction requires the involvement of two parents contributing genetic material to produce offspring. The fact that the mother cat has distinct color patterns, including orange, black, and white fur, suggests the combination of genetic traits from different parents. This variation in coat color indicates the presence of genetic recombination and inheritance from both the father and mother cats. On the other hand, asexual reproduction would result in offspring that are genetically identical or very similar to the parent, making it unlikely to produce kittens with different fur colors.
Based on the given information, the mother cat gave birth to three kittens with different fur colors, which suggests that she reproduced sexually. In sexual reproduction, offspring inherit traits from both parents, allowing for genetic variation and the possibility of different characteristics. The different fur colors of the kittens indicate that they have inherited distinct combinations of genes from their mother and possibly another male cat, supporting the conclusion that sexual reproduction took place.
Based on the given information, the mother cat being a calico and having three kittens with different fur colors (orange, black, and black with orange), it is highly likely that the mother cat reproduced sexually.
Here's the evidence to support this conclusion:
1. Calico coat pattern: Calico cats are almost exclusively female, and their distinctive tri-colored fur pattern is a result of X-chromosome inactivation during embryonic development. This means that calico cats inherit the orange fur color gene from one parent and the black fur color gene from the other parent.
2. Variations in fur colors: The three kittens in question have different fur colors: orange, black and orange, and black. This indicates that they inherited different combinations of fur color genes from both parents.
Based on these facts, it is evident that the mother cat reproduced sexually, as the kittens inherited their coat colors from both parents.