Someone Claims That "If a Characteristic Is Highly Heritable, Then

question 125

Multiple Choice

Someone claims that "if a characteristic is highly heritable, then we cannot change that characteristic by changing the environment." An example that argues strongly against this claim is that

• A) monozygotic twins resemble each other more than dizygotic twins do, for a wide variety of behaviors.
• B) adopted children resemble their biological parents with regard to many physical and behavioral conditions.
• C) a special diet can prevent the mental retardation associated with PKU.
• D) people with two genes for Huntington's disease get the disease, but people with only one such gene do not.

---

Definitions:

Biogeography

The study of the distribution of species across space (geography) and time.

Fitness

In evolutionary terms, fitness refers to the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce, thus passing its genes to the next generation.

Reproductive Age

The period in an organism's life during which it is biologically capable of producing offspring.

Offspring

The biological children or young produced by a pair or a group of parents.