Final answer:
Female chickens have heterozygous ZW sex chromosomes, male chickens are homozygous ZZ, and the W chromosome plays a crucial role in avian sex determination.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of avian sex determination, chickens, like other birds, have a different system compared to mammals. Female chickens have heterozygous sex chromosomes, which are composed of one Z chromosome and one W chromosome (ZW), making option d) ZW the correct answer for the female chicken's sex chromosome composition. The male chickens are homozygous with ZZ sex chromosomes. The presence of the W chromosome is critical in avian sex determination, playing a role similar to what the Y chromosome does in mammals.
It's interesting to note that the pioneering work of scientist Nettie Stevens helped to lay the foundation for our understanding of genetic sex determination. This knowledge helps us to understand how various species, including birds, fish, crustaceans, insects, and some reptiles, use the ZW system of sex chromosomes.