In a typical human diploid cell (2n = 46) undergoing meiosis, how many chromosomes are present in each daughter cell at the end of meiosis I?

• A. 46 chromosomes (each still consisting of two sister chromatids)
• B. 92 chromosomes (each still consisting of two sister chromatids)
• C. 23 chromosomes (each consisting of a single chromatid)
• D. 23 chromosomes (each still consisting of two sister chromatids)

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that a typical human diploid cell has 2n = 46 chromosomes, where n represents the number of unique chromosomes and 2n indicates two sets (one from each parent).
2. Understand that meiosis consists of two divisions: meiosis I and meiosis II. Meiosis I is a reductional division where homologous chromosomes are separated, reducing the chromosome number by half.
3. At the end of meiosis I, each daughter cell contains half the number of chromosomes compared to the original diploid cell. This means the chromosome number is reduced from 46 to 23.
4. Note that although the chromosome number is halved, each chromosome still consists of two sister chromatids because the chromatids have not yet separated (this happens in meiosis II).
5. Therefore, the number of chromosomes in each daughter cell at the end of meiosis I is 23, with each chromosome still composed of two sister chromatids.