Base your answer on the accompanying passage and on your knowledge of biology. Green sea slugs are animals that live in water and have developed the ability to produce their own chlorophyll. These creatures can also pass this ability to make chlorophyll to their offspring. Once the offspring have one meal of algae, they are able to make food using sunlight. This one meal provides the baby slugs with the chloroplasts needed to make use of the chlorophyll, and they are able to produce their own food in the future. The best explanation for why sea slugs are able to pass on this ability to make food to their offspring is that ________.

As per the question, the most appropriate explanation to describe the reason for sea slugs passing the ability to provide food to their offspring is that 'the gene for chlorophyll production is part of their DNA' which is transferred to the progeny during reproduction. These genes transmit the similar ability(through DNA) into the baby slugs to make chlorophyll which allows them to prepare their own food by using sunlight.Thus, the identical trait or ability in the parents and offspring is reflective of the transmission/passing of coded DNA(which involves gene for chlorophyll) from the parent to the child.