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)

Question

Responses

Asexually, because all of her kittens are females like her, which occurs with asexual reproduction.
Asexually, because all of her kittens are females like her, which occurs with asexual reproduction.

Asexually, because all of her kittens have the same colors as her, because they only inherited her genes.
Asexually, because all of her kittens have the same colors as her, because they only inherited her genes.

Sexually, because each kitten looks different than the mother, which is a sign of genetic variation due to sexual reproduction.
Sexually, because each kitten looks different than the mother, which is a sign of genetic variation due to sexual reproduction.

Sexually, because cats are multicellular, and multicellular organisms typically reproduce sexually.

Answer 1

The best evidence to support the choice of sexual reproduction is:

Sexually, because each kitten looks different than the mother, which is a sign of genetic variation due to sexual reproduction.

This response points out the genetic diversity among the kittens, indicating that they inherited a mix of genes from both parents, which is a characteristic of sexual reproduction. Asexual reproduction typically results in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent.