Question

A cell undergoing meiosis has four pairs of homologous chromosomes. How many different combinations of maternal and paternal chromosomes are possible within the daughter cells that form? (Do not consider crossing over in your answer.)

2

4

8

16

Answer 1

The correct answer is 16

Step-by-step explanation:

During meiosis, homologous chromosomes, which are chromosome pairs that contain similar genetic information from both the mother and father, undergo segregation and independent assortment. This means that each daughter cell formed during meiosis receives one chromosome from each homologous pair, resulting in different combinations of maternal and paternal chromosomes.

Since there are four pairs of homologous chromosomes in this scenario, the number of possible combinations of maternal and paternal chromosomes can be calculated using the formula 2^n, where n is the number of homologous chromosome pairs. In this case, 2^4 equals 16, which means that there are 16 different combinations of maternal and paternal chromosomes possible in the daughter cells that form during meiosis.