Question

Explain how the offspring of parents in sexual reproduction have the same number of chromosomes.

Answer 1

Hint: It involves a process of cell division that splits a diploid parent cell into haploid gametes. Half (\[2n\text{ }to\text{ }n\]) is the chromosome number. It arises in the reproductive cells (gametes) and decreases by half the number of chromosomes in them.

Complete answer:
When two gametes are fused together in sexual reproduction, it results in the creation of a zygote that gives rise to a new entity. There are 23 (\[n=\]Haploid) chromosomes in each gamete, which means half the number of chromosomes (diploid \[2n=46\] chromosomes) in a parent cell. The zygote would have \[23\text{ }+\text{ }23\text{ }=\text{ }46\] chromosomes that are equal to the number of chromosomes in the parent cell as these haploid gametes combine to form a zygote. Meiosis is the mechanism of cell division that decreases the number of chromosomes by half, and this happens in all eukaryotes that reproduce sexually. So, haploid gametes are formed by meiosis. When two gametes (one male and one female) fuse during fertilization during sexual reproduction, the result is the creation of a diploid zygote. Therefore, the parents and the offspring both have the same chromosome number.

Note: The genetic material of two individuals in sexual reproduction are combined to create genetically diverse offspring that vary from their parents. In sexual life cycles, fertilization and meiosis alternate. What occurs during these two occurrences depends on the body. The meiosis process, the division of the contents of the nucleus that separates the chromosomes between gametes, decreases the number of chromosomes by half, while the diploid state is restored by fertilization, the joining of two haploid gametes. In eukaryotic species, there are three major groups of life cycles: diploid-dominant, haploid-dominant, and generational alternation.