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In some species of locusts the female has a 'diploid chromosome number' of 16 - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 1 - 2004 - Paper 1
Question 1
In some species of locusts the female has a 'diploid chromosome number' of 16. a. What is meant by the diploid chromosome number? b. In this species a male loc... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:In some species of locusts the female has a 'diploid chromosome number' of 16 - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 1 - 2004 - Paper 1
Step 1
What is meant by the diploid chromosome number?
Answer
The diploid chromosome number refers to the total number of chromosomes present in an organism's somatic cells, which are organized into pairs. In this case, a diploid chromosome number of 16 indicates that there are 8 pairs of homologous chromosomes, contributing to genetic diversity during reproduction.
Step 2
What is the chromosome number of each of the two daughter cells produced during a mitotic division in a male?
Answer
In a male locust with a diploid number of 15, the chromosome number of each of the daughter cells produced during a mitotic division would be half of 15. Thus, each daughter cell would contain 15 chromosomes.
Step 3
At the end of a meiotic division, how many chromosomes would you expect in the gametes of
Answer
i. a female?
In a female locust with a diploid number of 16, the gametes produced at the end of meiotic division would each contain 8 chromosomes, as gametes are haploid cells.
ii. a male?
In a male locust with a diploid number of 15, the gametes would each contain 7.5 chromosomes. Since it’s not practical, we consider that male gametes can only reach a count of 7 (from 14 with the X chromosome) because they cannot have fractional chromosomes.