Final answer:
A gamete made by a corn plant, which is haploid, would contain 10 chromosomes. This is because gametes have half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell due to meiosis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The leaf cells of a corn plant contain 20 chromosomes each. These cells are considered diploid, which means they have two sets of chromosomes. During the formation of gametes, or reproductive cells, plants undergo a process called meiosis. Meiosis results in gametes that have half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell, meaning they are haploid. As such, a gamete made by a corn plant, which is haploid, would contain 10 chromosomes, which is half of the diploid number.
It is fundamental to understand that the ploidy count, indicating the sets of chromosomes in an organism, is halved in the gametes to ensure genetic diversity and the correct number of chromosomes after fertilization. This mechanism is consistent across various organisms, including humans, whose diploid number is 46, yielding gametes with 23 chromosomes. In the context of plant reproduction, the halving of chromosomes during gamete formation is pivotal for maintaining the species' chromosome count following fertilization, contributing to genetic stability and variety.