The bacterium bacillus anthracis, which causes anthrax, has been developed as a biological warfare agent.

which one of its following abilities could have led to this?
a. its ability to undergo reproduction inthe absence of energy sources
b. its ability to form endospores in harsh conditions
c. its abilty to grow rapily in harsh conditions

Anthrax usually form endospores in non-bacteria friendly environments, meaning they could get into places that would otherwise be hygienic and infect individuals.

fertilization, pictured in figure 24.23a is the process in which gametes (an egg and sperm) fuse to form a zygote. the egg and sperm each contain one set of chromosomes. to ensure that the offspring has only one complete diploid set of chromosomes, only one sperm must fuse with one egg. in mammals, the egg is protected by a layer of extracellular matrix consisting mainly of glycoproteins called the zona pellucida. when a sperm binds to the zona pellucida, a series of biochemical events, called the acrosomal reactions, take place. in placental mammals, the acrosome contains digestive enzymes that initiate the degradation of the glycoprotein matrix protecting the egg and allowing the sperm plasma membrane to fuse with the egg plasma membrane, as illustrated in figure 24.23b. the fusion of these two membranes creates an opening through which the sperm nucleus is transferred into the ovum. the nuclear membranes of the egg and sperm break down and the two haploid genomes condense to form a diploid genome.

explanation:

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explanation: