Which Statement Explains How Gap Junctions Provide a Biological Advantage

question 88

Multiple Choice

Which statement explains how gap junctions provide a biological advantage to animals?

• A) The pores of gap junctions allow small molecules to pass from cell to cell, ensuring similar concentrations of signaling molecules in adjacent cells.
• B) Gap junctions traverse the narrow space between the cell membranes of two adjacent cells (the "gap") by means of channel structures called connexons.
• C) The channel pores in a gap junction are about 1.5 nm in diameter, which is too narrow for the passage of large molecules.
• D) The walls of a connexon in a gap junction are composed of six subunits of the integral membrane protein connexin.
• E) In adjacent cells, two connexons come together to form a gap junction that links the cytoplasms of the two cells.

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Definitions:

Genetically Influenced Traits

Characteristics or features of an organism that are affected by its genetic makeup.

Adaptive

Referring to the ability or tendency to adjust effectively to new conditions or to changes in one's environment.

Sociobiology

An interdisciplinary field that emphasizes evolutionary explanations of social behavior in animals, including human beings.

Evolutionary Explanations

Theories that account for the development of traits and behaviors through the process of natural selection.