Final answer:
The energy required to separate the double-stranded region of DNA depends on the number of hydrogen bonds between the base pairs. A region with a higher number of GC base pairs would require more energy to separate compared to a region with a higher number of AT base pairs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The energy required to separate the double-stranded region of DNA depends on the number of hydrogen bonds between the base pairs. In DNA, cytosine (C) always binds with guanine (G) through three hydrogen bonds, while adenine (A) only binds with thymine (T) through two hydrogen bonds. Therefore, a region with a higher number of GC base pairs, such as GCGCGCGC, would require more energy to separate compared to a region with a higher number of AT base pairs, such as ATATATAT.