Question

The diploid number of a roundworm species is 4. Assuming there is no crossover, and random segregation of homologues during meiosis, how many different possible combinations of chromosomes might there be in the offspring (not including variety generated by crossing over)?

A) 4
B) 8
C) 16
D) 64

Answer 1

The roundworm species with a diploid number of 4 can produce 16 different possible combinations of chromosomes in the offspring via random segregation of chromosomes during meiosis.

Step-by-step explanation:

The calculation of possible combinations of chromosomes in offspring of a roundworm species with a diploid number of 4 involves understanding the process of random assortment during meiosis. Without crossover, the variability in offspring comes solely from this random segregation. For a species with a diploid number of 4, we consider 2 possible orientations for each of the 2 chromosome pairs, leading to total possibilities as 2n, where n equals the number of haploid chromosomes. Therefore, with n = 2, there are 22 or 4 possible combinations for each pair of homologous chromosomes, resulting in 24 or 16 different possible combinations of chromosomes in the offspring.