In mitosis of a typical diploid somatic cell, what is the ploidy of the daughter cells produced relative to the parent cell?

• A. Triploid; the daughter cells gain an extra set of chromosomes during mitosis
• B. Haploid; the daughter cells have half the chromosome number of the parent cell
• C. Tetraploid; the daughter cells retain the duplicated chromosomes without separating them
• D. Diploid; the daughter cells have the same chromosome number as the parent cell

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that mitosis is a process of cell division that results in two daughter cells genetically identical to the parent cell.
2. Understand that a diploid cell has two sets of chromosomes (2n), one set inherited from each parent.
3. During mitosis, the chromosomes are duplicated during the S phase of interphase, but the chromosome number (ploidy) remains the same after division.
4. In mitosis, sister chromatids separate so that each daughter cell receives one copy of each chromosome, maintaining the diploid number.
5. Therefore, the ploidy of the daughter cells after mitosis is diploid, the same as the parent cell.