The Faster a Cheetah Can Run, the More Likely It

question 38

Multiple Choice

The faster a cheetah can run, the more likely it is to capture its prey. Cheetahs with longer legs are able to run faster than those with shorter legs. Although the existing cheetah population shows a variety of leg lengths, cheetah legs are not increasing in length from one generation to the next. Which of the following is the most likely explanation?

• A) Cheetah populations no longer contain the alleles needed to grow longer legs.
• B) Cheetahs with long legs are reproductively isolated from cheetahs with short legs.
• C) Natural selection does not act on the genes involved in determining leg length.
• D) The longer the length of a cheetah leg, the more likely the leg bone is to break.

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Definitions:

Hydrolysis Rate

The speed at which a chemical compound decomposes by reaction with water, leading to the breakdown of bonds and formation of new compounds.

Carboxylic Acid Derivatives

A group of compounds that are structurally related to carboxylic acids but have a functional group (e.g., ester, amide) replacing the hydroxyl group.

Hot Aqueous Acid

Utilized in chemistry for hydrolysis reactions, it involves the use of heated water and acid to break chemical bonds in substances.

Hydrolysis

A chemical reaction that involves the breaking of a bond in a molecule using water, commonly seen in the breakdown of biomolecules.