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If a cell has 32 chromosomes, how many chromosomes will each of its daughter cells have after mitosis?

a) 8 chromosomes
b) 16 chromosomes
c) 32 chromosomes
d) 64 chromosomes

User Skillz
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

After mitosis, each daughter cell will have the same number of chromosomes as the original cell, which is 32. Mitosis ensures that each daughter cell receives an exact copy of the original chromosome complement. In contrast, meiosis, which produces gametes, reduces the chromosome number by half, resulting in 16 chromosomes for gametes in an organism with 32 chromosomes.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a cell has 32 chromosomes, after mitosis, each of its daughter cells will have 32 chromosomes. During mitosis, the cell replicates all of its DNA during the S phase of interphase, so each chromosome consists of two sister chromatids.

These sister chromatids are then separated and evenly distributed to the two daughter cells, ensuring that each cell retains the original number of chromosomes. In contrast, during meiosis, which is the process that forms gametes, the chromosome number is halved, leading to the formation of haploid cells.

Therefore, if the original muscle cell of an organism has 32 chromosomes, the gametes of that organism would have 16 chromosomes after meiosis, reflecting the halving of the chromosome number during this specialized form of cell division.

User Bubble Bub
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