What is meant by ploidy? Give naturally occurring examples of (a) a haploid cell (b) a diploid cell (c) a polyploid cell (d) a nulliploid cell.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Answer is Ploidy means the number of copies of the chromosome set (the different chromosomes in a cell). Examples are:
a) haploid: sperm and egg cells;
b) diploid: the zygote, and most somatic cells such as lymphocytes, neurons and so on;
c) polyploid: muscle fiber cells (which have multiple nuclei) and megakaryocytes where the chromosomes have replicated several times without an intervening cell division;
d) nulliploid: erythrocytes (lack a nucleus) and terminally differentiated skin cells (lack organelles including a nucleus).

What Is Meant by Ploidy? Give Naturally Occurring Examples of (A)