The fact that a trait such as height in humans varies over a wide range of values is due to

a. the production of carbon dioxide through the process of photosynthesis

the answer to the blank provided is “an autosomal gene that is required for the expression of genes on the x chromosome”.

testis-determining factor, abbreviated as td, which is more popularly known as sex-determining region y or sry protein, is a dna-binding protein or  gene-regulatory protein/transcription factor, encoded by the  sry gene. it is the gene responsible for the initiation of male gender determination in humans.