Genetic Variation from Sexual Reproduction

Steps:

• Identify that wild cherry trees reproduce sexually via seeds, involving meiosis and fertilization.
• Recognize seeds as products of gamete fusion, allowing genotypic differences between pairs.
• Contrast with vegetative structures (leaves, petals, cuttings) derived from mitotic division.
• Conclude only seeds can have cells with varying genotypes due to recombination.

Why A is correct:

• Seeds form through sexual reproduction, where meiosis creates genetically diverse gametes that fuse, producing embryos with unique genotypes per seed (per Mendel's law of segregation).

Why the others are wrong:

• B: Leaves develop from somatic cells via mitosis, sharing the tree's uniform genotype.
• C: Petals are also somatic floral tissues, genetically identical within the plant.
• D: Cuttings are vegetative clones, propagating identical genotypes asexually.

Final answer: A