Final answer:
A diploid organism with 4 chromosomes can produce 16 different combinations of chromosomes through the process of meiosis due to independent assortment.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a diploid organism has 4 chromosomes, it can produce 16 different combinations of chromosomes during meiosis. This variability arises because, during meiosis, chromosomes can arrange themselves in different ways. The concept here is that of independent assortment, where each pair of chromosomes aligns independently of the other pairs at the metaphase plate.
Since there are two possibilities for each pair (maternal or paternal), the total number of different combinations of chromosomes is 2n, where n is the number of chromosome pairs. In the case of an organism with 4 chromosomes (2 pairs), this results in 22 or 4 combinations for each pair, and considering both pairs, the organism can produce 22*22 or 16 different combinations.