A Female Fly, Full of Fertilised Eggs, Is Swept by High

question 30

Multiple Choice

A female fly, full of fertilised eggs, is swept by high winds to an island far out to sea. She is the first fly to arrive on this island and the only fly to arrive in this way. Thousands of years later, her numerous offspring occupy the island, but none of them resembles her. There are, instead, several species, each of which eats only a certain type of food. None of the species can fly, and their balancing organs (halteres) are now used in courtship displays. The male members of each species bear modified halteres that are unique in appearance to their species. Females bear vestigial halteres. The ranges of all of the daughter species overlap.
In each fly species, the entire body segment that gave rise to the original flight wings is missing. The mutation(s) that led to the flightless condition could have ________.

• A) duplicated all of the Hox genes in these flies' genomes
• B) resulted in paedomorphosis
• C) altered the expression of a Hox gene
• D) originated in another species

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Definitions:

Variables

Elements or factors that can be changed and measured in an experiment to determine their effects on the outcome.

Aggression

Behavior intended to harm or intimidate others, driven by various psychological, environmental, or biological factors.

Heat Waves

Prolonged periods of excessively hot weather, which can have significant health, ecological, and societal impacts.

Temperature

A measure of the warmth or coldness of an environment or object, expressed in degrees.