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Scientists have been studying the amount of vitamin E in the corn plant Arabidopsis thaliana - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 7 - 2010 - Paper 1
Question 7
Scientists have been studying the amount of vitamin E in the corn plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The amount of vitamin E in hundreds of plant seeds that were tested is ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Scientists have been studying the amount of vitamin E in the corn plant Arabidopsis thaliana - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 7 - 2010 - Paper 1
Step 1
It is reasonable to conclude that the vitamin E phenotype of corn plants is a result of:
Answer
The optimal choice here is C. polygenic inheritance.
Explanation:
Polygenic inheritance is characterized by the involvement of multiple genes influencing a single trait. In this case, the variation in vitamin E levels observed in the seeds likely results from the cumulative effects of several genes, leading to a continuous distribution of phenotypes.
Supporting Points:
- Graph Analysis: The provided histogram shows a range of vitamin E concentrations among the seeds, indicating a gradual variation rather than distinct categories, which aligns with polygenic traits.
- Other Options:
- A. Cloning: Would produce genetically identical offspring, leading to minimal variation.
- B. Asexual reproduction: Typically results in genetically identical progeny, similar to cloning.
- D. Discontinuous variation: Would suggest a limited number of distinct phenotypes, which is not evident in the graph.