When you slice up a pie that contains a swirled mixture of chocolate and vanilla filling, you notice that some slices have more chocolate than vanilla and that other slices have more vanilla than chocolate. This uneven distribution of chocolate and vanilla is most like the uneven distribution of
A) nuclei in a zygote.
B) nuclei in an early embryo.
C) nuclei in an egg prior to fertilization.
D) cytoplasmic determinants in a newly formed zygote.
E) cytoplasmic determinants in a baby just prior to birth.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The uneven distribution of chocolate and vanilla in the pie is most similar to the uneven distribution of cytoplasmic determinants in a newly formed zygote. Just as the chocolate and vanilla mixture was swirled together before being sliced up, cytoplasmic determinants are unevenly distributed during the process of cell division, resulting in some cells having more of one determinant than the other. This can lead to different cell fates and ultimately different tissue types.

When You Slice Up a Pie That Contains a Swirled