Question Environmental factors can influence the gene expression in some organisms. Describe how environmental factors can affect an organism's phenotype. Explain how temperature can affect the gene expression in an organism of the same species, resulting in differing phenotypes. Provide an example.

  Answer to a    - The expression of genes in an organism can be influenced by the environment, including the external world in which the organism is located or develops, as well as the organism's internal world, which includes such factors as its hormones and metabolism. One major internal environmental influence that affects gene expression is gender, as is the case with sex-influenced and sex-limited traits. Similarly, drugs, chemicals, temperature, and light are among the external environmental factors that can determine which genes are turned on and off, thereby influencing the way an organism develops and functions.         Answer to b    - most organisms are exposed to changing conditions, and in these cases, it is often difficult to imagine how the organisms' genes "sense" alterations in the environment. Consider the case of the crocodile. Scientists know that the temperature at which a crocodile egg is incubated influences the sex of the resulting baby crocodile.   - Studies have shown that there is a specific point in the development of certain organisms, known as the thermosensitive pe ... See the full answer