Question

The "calico" pattern of coat coloration in female cats is a result of:__________

Answer 1

Answer:

b. x chromosome inactivation

Explanation:

As you know, female cats have an x chromosome inherited from their mother and an x chromosome inherited from their father. After these two chromosomes are inherited and determine the sex of the cat, one of them will be disabled at some point in fetal development. Inside the X chromosome is the gene that determines the coat color of cats, when one of the two x chromosomes is deactivated, the other x chromosome will have all of its cells activated. In this case, if the activated chromosome is the one that has genes for the "cheetah" pattern of the coat color, all the descendants of this female cat also have the same coat.