Without external forces, the third generation of a bacterium and the original parent cell will have approximately ________ matching DNA sequences.(1 point)

Question

Responses

33%

12.5%

25%

100%

Answer 1

In asexual reproduction, like that of bacteria through binary fission, the offspring are clones of the parent cell, meaning they have identical DNA. However, if we consider a third generation, we still focus on the fact that each generation is a direct clone of the previous one.

So, the DNA match would be:

• Original parent cell (1st generation) -> 100% match to itself.
• 1st generation daughter (2nd generation) -> 100% match to the parent and each other.
• 2nd generation daughter (3rd generation) -> 100% match to both the 1st generation and the original parent.

Thus, the correct response is 100% matching DNA sequences between the third generation of a bacterium and the original parent cell.