Textbook Question
If an intestinal cell in a grasshopper contains 24 chromosomes, then a grasshopper sperm cell contains ___________ chromosomes.
a. 6
b. 12
c. 24
d. 48
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Ch. 8 The Cellular Basis of Reproduction and Inheritance
Taylor, Simon, Dickey, Hogan10th EditionCampbell Biology: Concepts & ConnectionsISBN: 9780136538783
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Table of contents
- Ch. 1 Biology: The Study of Scientific Life19
- Ch. 2 The Chemical Basis of Life17
- Ch. 3 The Molecules of Cells21
- Ch. 4 A Tour of the Cell20
- Ch. 5 The Working Cell17
- Ch. 6 How Cells Harvest Chemical Energy18
- Ch. 7 Photosynthesis: Using Light to Make Food15
- Ch. 8 The Cellular Basis of Reproduction and Inheritance22
- Ch. 9 Patterns of Inheritance17
- Ch. 10 Molecular Biology of the Gene13
- Ch. 11 How Genes Are Controlled13
- Ch. 12 DNA Technology and Genomics23
- Ch. 13 How Populations Evolve17
- Ch. 14 The Origin of Species19
- Ch. 15 Tracing Evolutionary History18
- Ch. 16 Microbial Life: Prokaryotes and Protists16
- Ch. 17 The Evolution of Plant and Fungal Diversity15
- Ch. 18 The Evolution of Invertebrate Diversity13
- Ch. 19 The Evolution of Vertebrate Diversity18
- Ch. 20 Unifying Concepts of Animal Structure and Function11
- Ch. 21 Nutrition and Digestion16
- Ch. 22 Gas Exchange16
- Ch. 23 Circulation17
- Ch. 24 The Immune System16
- Ch. 25 Control of Body Temperature and Water Balance20
- Ch. 26 Hormones and the Endocrine System10
- Ch. 27 Reproduction and Embryonic Development12
- Ch. 28 Nervous Systems10
- Ch. 29 The Senses12
- Ch. 30 How Animals Move19
- Ch. 31 Plant Structure, Growth, and Reproduction9
- Ch. 32 Plant Nutrition and Transport12
- Ch. 33 Control Systems in Plants15
- Ch. 34 The Biosphere: An Introduction to Earth's Diverse Environments15
- Ch. 35 Behavioral Adaptations to the Environment12
- Ch. 36 Population Ecology15
- Ch. 37 Communities and Ecosystems14
- Ch. 38 Conservation Biology14
Taylor, Simon, Dickey, Hogan10th EditionCampbell Biology: Concepts & ConnectionsISBN: 9780136538783Not the one you use?Change textbook
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Taylor, Simon, Dickey, Hogan 10th EditionCh. 8 The Cellular Basis of Reproduction and InheritanceProblem 5
Taylor, Simon, Dickey, Hogan 10th EditionCh. 8 The Cellular Basis of Reproduction and InheritanceProblem 5Chapter 8, Problem 5
A fruit fly somatic cell contains 8 chromosomes. This means that ___________ different combinations of chromosomes are possible in its gametes.
a. 8
b. 16
c. 32
d. 64
Verified step by step guidance1
Determine the ploidy of the somatic cell. A somatic cell is diploid (2n), meaning it contains two sets of chromosomes. In this case, the fruit fly somatic cell has 8 chromosomes, so n (the haploid number) is 4.
Recall the formula for calculating the number of possible combinations of chromosomes in gametes due to independent assortment during meiosis. The formula is 2^n, where n is the haploid number of chromosomes.
Substitute the haploid number (n = 4) into the formula: 2^n. This represents the number of different combinations of chromosomes that can occur in the gametes.
Simplify the expression 2^4 to determine the total number of combinations. This step involves basic exponentiation.
Match the calculated value to the options provided (a. 8, b. 16, c. 32, d. 64) to identify the correct answer.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Chromosome Number and Gametes
In sexually reproducing organisms, somatic cells contain pairs of chromosomes, while gametes (sperm and egg cells) are haploid, meaning they contain half the number of chromosomes. For a fruit fly with 8 chromosomes in somatic cells, each gamete will have 4 chromosomes.
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Homologous Chromosomes
Independent Assortment
Independent assortment is a principle of genetics stating that alleles for different traits segregate independently of one another during gamete formation. This means that the combination of chromosomes in gametes can vary, leading to a variety of genetic combinations.
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Combinatorial Genetics
The number of different combinations of chromosomes in gametes can be calculated using the formula 2^n, where n is the number of chromosome pairs. For a fruit fly with 8 chromosomes (4 pairs), the number of combinations is 2^4, resulting in 16 possible combinations of chromosomes in its gametes.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
Which of the following is not a function of mitosis in humans?
a. Repair of wounds
b. Growth
c. Production of gametes from diploid cells
d. Replacement of lost or damaged cells
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Textbook Question
It is difficult to observe individual chromosomes during interphase because
a. The DNA has not been replicated yet
b. They are in the form of long, thin strands
c. They leave the nucleus and are dispersed to other parts of the cell
d. Homologous chromosomes do not pair up until division starts
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Textbook Question
If a fragment of a chromosome breaks off and then reattaches to the original chromosome but in the reverse direction, the resulting chromosomal abnormality is called
a. A deletion
b. An inversion
c. A translocation
d. A non-disjunction
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Textbook Question
Which of the following phases of mitosis is essentially the opposite of prophase in terms of changes within the nucleus?
a. Telophase
b. Metaphase
c. Interphase
d. Anaphase
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Textbook Question
A biochemist measured the amount of DNA in cells growing in the laboratory and found that the quantity of DNA in a cell doubled
a. Between prophase and anaphase of mitosis
b. Between the G1 and G2 phases of the cell cycle
c. During the M phase of the cell cycle
d. Between prophase I and prophase II of meiosis
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