Question

An explorer stumbled upon a remote valley and found plants that produced a colorful, sweet fruit. Many of these plants were autopolyploid and came in varieties that differed by their ploidy and the size of fruit that was produced. Which of the following plant genomes would MOST likely produce sterile plants?

A. Autotriploid
B. Autotetraploid
C. Autodiploid
D. Autopentaploid

Answer 1

A) Autotriploid plants are most likely to be sterile due to complications during meiosis, as their three sets of chromosomes cannot pair up evenly, leading to gametes with unbalanced chromosomes and unsuccessful fertilization.

Step-by-step explanation:

Among the options given, autotriploid plants (Option A) are most likely to produce sterile plants. Autotriploids have three sets of chromosomes, which leads to complications during meiosis because the chromosomes cannot pair up evenly. This uneven pairing during gamete formation often results in sterility, as the gametes produced may have an unbalanced number of chromosomes, leading to unsuccessful fertilization or non-viable offspring.

In contrast, autotetraploid plants (Option B) have an even number of chromosome sets, which can pair up during meiosis, potentially leading to fertile offspring. Autodiploids (Option C) and autopentaploids (Option D) also may have issues with sterility, depending on their specific genetic make-up, but autotriploids are typically more prone to problems with meiosis and therefore sterility.