227k views
2 votes
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) have 34 chromosomes in their leaf cells. How many chromosomes are in a sunflower egg cell?

A) 34
B) 17
C) 68
D) 51

User Tarrant
by
6.7k points

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

A sunflower egg cell has 17 chromosomes, which is half the number of chromosomes found in its somatic cells.

Step-by-step explanation:

The number of chromosomes present in the egg cell of a sunflower is half of that in its somatic cells. Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) have 34 chromosomes in their somatic cells, such as leaf cells. During the formation of gametes, a process called meiosis reduces the chromosome count by half, so each gamete will have half the number of chromosomes compared to a somatic cell. The correct answer is B) 17 chromosomes in a sunflower egg cell.

User RobDil
by
7.5k points