Question

Let's consider meiosis in mosquitoes, which have three pairs of homologous chromosomes (n = 3, 2n = 6). At the conclusion of meiotic cell division, a mosquito can produce how many different gametes with unique sets of chromosomes (excluding crossing over)?

Answer 1

8

Step-by-step explanation:

Excluding crossing over, a diploid individual can produce 2^n different gametes, where n is the number of chromosomes in an haploid cell of the species.

In this case, mosquitoes have an haploid number of n=3, so they can produce 2^3= 8 unique gametes.

For instance, given the homologous chromosomes 1A-1a, 2B-2b and 3C-3c (2n=6), the possible gametes are:

1. 1A,2B,3C
2. 1A,2B,3c
3. 1A,2b,3C
4. 1A,2b,3c
5. 1a,2B,3C
6. 1a,2B,3c
7. 1a,2b,3C
8. 1a,2b,3c