The diploid number of a roundworm species is 4. You have a male and a female roundworm that are planning a family. Assuming random segregation of homologues during meiosis and no crossover, how many different possible combinations of chromosomes might there be in the offspring?

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Each parent contributes 2 unique homologous chromosomes to their offspring. Thus, there are 2^2 possible combinations from each parent. With two parents, there would be 2^2 x 2^2 = 16 possible combinations of chromosomes in the offspring.

The Diploid Number of a Roundworm Species Is 4