[Campbell Biology P.520] According to the text and Figure 22.4, what is the primary conclusi... | Practice Question

According to the text and Figure 22.4, what is the primary conclusion regarding the inheritance of acquired traits?

  • A: Traits acquired during an organism's lifetime, such as a bonsai tree's dwarf size, are passed on to offspring.
  • B: Lamarck's principle of inheritance of acquired characteristics accurately explains how traits like a giraffe's long neck evolved.
  • C: Modifications to an organism's body due to use or disuse are generally not inherited by its offspring.
  • D: Darwin fully supported Lamarck's idea of the inheritance of acquired characteristics as the sole mechanism for introducing variation.

Explanation

Figure 22.4 and the accompanying text on Lamarck's hypothesis clearly state that acquired traits are not inherited. The bonsai tree example illustrates that despite deliberate training, its offspring will be of normal size, reinforcing the idea that such modifications are not passed down genetically. The text also mentions that modern understanding of genetics 'refutes this mechanism' inheritance of acquired characteristics .