Final answer:
A temperature-sensitive allele that leads to the death of an organism upon exposure to specific temperatures usually affects the organism's essential biological processes, like enzymes and metabolism. Some organisms, known as extremophiles, have evolved to withstand extreme conditions. Temperature-sensitive lethal alleles can also be part of dominant lethal inheritance patterns, such as in Huntington's disease.
Step-by-step explanation:
A temperature-sensitive allele that causes the death of an organism with exposure to a specific range of temperature can be considered a form of extreme environmental sensitivity. These alleles can manifest in various ways, from affecting the coloration in animals like arctic foxes and rabbits, to causing lethality under certain temperature conditions. For instance, some alleles may lead to death at high temperatures due to enzyme degradation, while others might be lethal at low temperatures that affect metabolic processes essential for survival.
It's also important to note that there are organisms such as extremophiles that have adapted to survive in conditions that would be hostile to most forms of life, including high-temperature environments like those found in hydrothermal vents. On the other hand, temperature-sensitive alleles may also follow dominant lethal inheritance patterns, where the allele is lethal whether present in one or two copies. An example of a delayed lethal allele in humans is Huntington's disease, where symptoms and consequent lethality occur later in life.