The proximate cause of an organism's unique characteristic can be answered by
A)studying the animals lineage.
B)looking for evolutionary advantages of the characteristic.
C)identifying the genes that regulate the characteristic.
D)both A and B

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The proximate cause refers to the underlying mechanism or immediate reason for a behavior or characteristic. Identifying the genes that regulate the characteristic would provide the most direct answer to the proximate cause, as it would reveal the specific biological processes that result in the characteristic. Studying an animal's lineage or looking for evolutionary advantages would provide information on the ultimate cause of the characteristic, which refers to how the characteristic has evolved over time and how it contributes to an animal's reproductive success. While these factors may be related to the proximate cause, they do not directly identify the underlying biological mechanism.

The Proximate Cause of an Organism's Unique Characteristic Can Be