Final answer:
Vertebrate young inherit characteristics from both parents, showing a blend of traits, with variation among offspring. Vertebrate reproduction strategies, such as ovipary and vivipary, influence offspring resemblance, and important anatomical features can affect reproductive methods and characteristics.option a is correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
Vertebrate Young and Their Characteristics
Vertebrate young have characteristics that are inherited from both parents, which means the correct answer to the question is they have characteristics of both parents. Most traits of organisms are passed down from parents to their offspring, and vertebrates, which include species like fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, follow this biological principle. However, offspring also exhibit variations among each other, displaying a blend of their parents' traits rather than being exact copies of either parent. This variation is especially evident in characteristics that exhibit continuous variation.
Furthermore, vertebrate reproduction can occur in different ways, such as ovipary (egg-laying), ovovivipary, or vivipary (live birth), affecting how closely the offspring might resemble their parents at birth. For example, oviparous vertebrates lay eggs outside the mother's body, while viviparous vertebrates give birth to live young that have developed inside the mother, potentially allowing for more parental resemblance from the start.
The concept of analogous characteristics, such as the similar body shapes of dolphins and fish, is a result of similar environmental pressures leading to similar adaptations, not because they are direct copies of either parent. Moreover, vertebrate anatomy, such as the use of a cloaca in non-mammals or the uterus in mammals, plays a role in reproductive strategies and subsequent offspring resemblance.