Maternal effects are cases of extrachromosomal inheritance in which the genotype of the mother influences the phenotype of her immediate offspring in a non -Mendelian manner. Provide a rationale for the molecular basis of a maternal effect.

Mutations that eliminate a contiguous region in the Drosophila embryo's segmentation pattern are called _.

Provide a brief description of the variable gene activity hypothesis as it relates to development. What information is often provided in support of this hypothesis?