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Liver cells of humans may be triploid (3n), tetraploid (4n), or even octaploid (8n). This phenomenon is best described as ______.

Multiple choice question.
allopolyploidy
endopolyploidy
polysomy
polyembryony

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Human liver cells displaying triploid, tetraploid, or octaploid chromosome numbers exhibit endopolyploidy, a condition where cells have more than the normal two sets of chromosomes.

Step-by-step explanation:

The phenomenon of human liver cells being triploid (3n), tetraploid (4n), or even octaploid (8n) is best described as endopolyploidy. This condition occurs when a cell or organism has extra sets of chromosomes beyond the typical two sets found in diploid species. Unlike autopolyploidy, which involves multiple chromosomes from the same species, and allopolyploidy, which involves chromosomes from different species, endopolyploidy refers to the duplication of chromosome sets within the same cell, leading to increased chromosome numbers without new species formation.

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