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If a gamete contains 5 chromosomes, how many chromosomes will a typical body cell contain? (just before mitosis)

User Godsmith
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Final answer:

A somatic cell just before mitosis will contain twice the number of chromosomes found in a gamete. Therefore, if a gamete contains 5 chromosomes, the somatic cell will contain 10 chromosomes just before mitosis.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a gamete contains 5 chromosomes, this means that we are considering a haploid cell, which has a single set of chromosomes (1n). In eukaryotic organisms, the typical body cell, or somatic cell, is diploid (2n), containing two sets of chromosomes - one set from each parent. Therefore, a typical body cell will contain twice the number of chromosomes that a gamete contains.

Just before mitosis, a somatic cell will still be diploid, as mitosis is a process that ensures the maintenance of the chromosome number across the daughter cells. Hence, if a gamate has 5 chromosomes, a somatic cell just before mitosis will contain 10 chromosomes (5 pairs).

User Scott Chapman
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