Question

In a tobacco plant, the male gametes have twenty-four chromosomes. The number of chromosomes in the female gametes is also twenty-four. What is the number of chromosomes in the zygote produced? How is the chromosome number in the zygote re-established?

Accepted Answer

1. **Number of chromosomes in zygote:** $24 + 24 = 48$. 2. **Re-establishment:** During sexual reproduction, specialized cells undergo meiotic division to form haploid gametes ($n = 24$). Upon fertilization, fusion of haploid male and female gametes restores the original diploid chromosome number ($2n = 48$) in the zygote.

Chromosome number in plant gametes and zygote

Explanation

Practise this under board exam conditions