Final answer:
A gamete of a turtle species contains half the DNA amount of a somatic cell. If a somatic cell has 22 picograms of DNA, a gamete would have 11 picograms. The correct answer is B. 11 picograms.
Step-by-step explanation:
When considering the amount of DNA present in a gamete of a turtle species, a fundamental principle of genetics comes into play: gametes are haploid cells. This means they contain half the amount of DNA compared to a somatic (body) cell. If we know the DNA content of a somatic cell, we can solve completely for the DNA content of a gamete by dividing the amount in a somatic cell by two. Based on question 8, if a muscle cell of a typical organism has 32 chromosomes (implying the diploid number is 32), the gamete of that same organism will have half that number, 16 chromosomes (haploid number). Since chromosomes are structures made of DNA, having half the number of chromosomes means having half the DNA content.
If a somatic cell of the turtle species in question has 22 picograms of DNA (the standard diploid amount for many somatic cells), its gamete would contain half of that, which is 11 picograms. So, the correct answer to the student's question is B. 11 picograms.