Question

A single pair of goldfish in an aquarium produced a large number of offspring. These offspring showed variations in body shape and coloration. The most likely explanation for these variations is that the …
offspring were adapting to different environments


offspring were produced from different combinations of genes


parent fish had not been exposed to mutagenic agents

Answer 1

The most likely explanation for the variation is the offspring were produced from different combination of genes. A single pair of gold fish mentioned in the question means a male and a female gold fish. The two of them mated and contributed different genes to the fertilized fish eggs, this results in production of various body shape and colouration which is known as variation.