The temperature at which American alligator eggs are incubated will affect the gender of the offspring. Eggs kept at 30 °C tend to hatch mostly female, while eggs kept at 33°C tend to hatch mostly male.

Question

Which statement explains why the temperature affects the gender of alligator hatchlings?

Different parts of the embryo's DNA are deleted at different temperatures.

Gene expression is different at different temperatures.

Different parts of the embryo's DNA are duplicated at different temperatures.

Gene repair occurs differently at different temperatures.

Answer 1

The correct statement that explains why the temperature affects the gender of alligator hatchlings is:

Gene expression is different at different temperatures.

Temperature-dependent sex determination is a phenomenon where the expression of certain genes involved in sexual differentiation is influenced by the temperature at which the eggs are incubated. In the case of American alligators, the specific temperature triggers different pathways of gene expression that ultimately determine whether the offspring develop as male or female.