Question

In the Sierra Nevada mountains of California there are many populations of the checkerspot butterfly, Euphydryas editha. You notice that females of one population (population A) lay their eggs near the tip of a plant's stem. Females of another population in the same area (population B) lay their eggs at the base of the stem on a different type of plant. The young hatch out as caterpillars; they live on the host plant and eat its leaves.

You breed a member of population A with a member of population B. You raise the hybrid caterpillars on paper towels in the lab. You cross all the female hybrids with members of population A, and then you release the pregnant hybrid females back into the natural environment. All of the hybrid females lay their eggs at the center of the stems (not at the top or the bottom). What does this suggest about the trait of female egg placement on stems?
There is no genetic component.
They always lay their eggs in the same environment that they experienced as caterpillars.It is random.There is a genetic component to egg placement.

Answer 1

The breeding experiment with checkerspot butterflies indicates a genetic component to egg placement, as hybrid offspring demonstrate a distinct laying behavior at the stem center, not matching either parent population (Option D).

Step-by-step explanation:

When a member of the checkerspot butterfly population A (laying eggs near the tip of the plant's stem) is bred with a member from population B (laying eggs at the base of the stem on a different type of plant), and the resulting female hybrids lay their eggs at the center of the stem after being raised in a controlled environment, it suggests that there is a genetic component to egg placement behavior.

This is further indicated since the hybrids were not influenced by their caterpillar environment, which consisted of paper towels, and yet still developed their own distinct egg-laying behavior that is a combination of both parent populations.

Thus, the correct option is D.