Question

In a triploid plant, the probability that meiosis will produce a gamete that is perfectly haploid or diploid is _____, where n is the number of chromosomes in a set. Thus, the high probability of aneuploid gametes makes triploid plants sterile.

Answer 1

In triploid plants, the probability of producing a perfectly haploid or diploid gamete is extremely low because the uneven number of chromosome sets disrupts normal meiosis, leading to sterility.

Step-by-step explanation:

In triploid plants, the probability that meiosis will produce a gamete that is perfectly haploid or diploid is extremely low. This improbability is due to the fact that triploidy, where an organism has three sets of chromosomes, disrupts the normal process of meiosis. As a result, triploid plants often produce aneuploid gametes, which have an abnormal number of chromosomes, leading to sterility.

Triploid plants, such as commercially grown bananas with an AAB genetic constitution, tend to be larger and more robust than their diploid counterparts but cannot undergo normal sexual reproduction due to meiotic disturbances. These plants are typically propagated through cloning or other asexual methods, and the sterility is actually beneficial in commercial contexts as it eliminates seeds.

Polyploidy is uncommon in animals, but in plants, it can often contribute to increased size and robustness. The creation of aneuploid gametes in triploid organisms underscores the problems with meiosis when dealing with an odd number of chromosome sets, which is why such organisms are generally sterile.