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If a winged butterfly is diploid and contains 20 chromosomes, how many chromosomes would a butterfly haploid sperm have?

A) 10 chromosomes.
B) 20 chromosomes.
C) 40 chromosomes.
D) 80 chromosomes.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

A butterfly haploid sperm would have 10 chromosomes, as it contains a single set of chromosomes, which is half the diploid number of 20 chromosomes found in its somatic cells.

Step-by-step explanation:

In biology, diploid organisms have somatic cells that contain two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent. Since a winged butterfly is diploid with 20 chromosomes in its somatic cells, during the production of gametes, which is a process called gametogenesis, the number of chromosomes is halved. Therefore, a butterfly haploid sperm cell would contain only one set of chromosomes, which is half the number found in diploid cells.

The correct answer to how many chromosomes would a butterfly haploid sperm have is: A) 10 chromosomes. This is because gametes (sperm and eggs) are haploid and contain a single set of chromosomes, which is exactly half the diploid number.

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