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Read the passage to answer the question.

Ostriches are birds that reproduce sexually. After a female ostrich's eggs are
fertilized, she will lay them in a communal nest shared by other ostriches in the
family group. There the eggs will incubate for a couple months. Within the eggs, the
ostrich embryos gradually develop until they are ready to hatch.
When a baby ostrich hatches, it will have many specialized parts, including long legs,
wings, and a beak.
Which process enables baby ostriches to develop various kinds of body parts from a
single zygote?
a cell differentiation
b mitosis
c meiosis
d reproduction

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

Cell differentiation is the biological process that enables the development of various body parts in baby ostriches from a single zygote, allowing cells to specialize and form diverse structures such as legs, wings, and beaks.

Step-by-step explanation:

The process that enables baby ostriches to develop various kinds of body parts from a single zygote is a) cell differentiation.

Cell differentiation is a biological process where a less specialized cell becomes a more specialized cell type. During the development of an embryo, a single fertilized egg cell - the zygote - undergoes numerous cell divisions through mitosis. However, it is the process of cell differentiation that allows these cells to take on different functions, leading to the formation of specialized structures such as legs, wings, and beaks in baby ostriches. Each cell's genetic material garners specific instructions during differentiation, influencing its path to become a specific part of the ostrich's anatomy. This process is crucial for the proper development of all multicellular organisms, starting from the initial stages of life as a zygote and continuing through full development into a mature organism.

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