The ant Myrmecia pilosula has the smallest number of chromosomes possible in a eukaryote: females possess only one pair of chromosomes, and males have only one chromosome! Put another way, female M. pilosula can be described as having the haploid condition n = 1 and the diploid condition 2n = 2. Based on this scenario as well as your knowledge of gamete formation a female M. pilosula can produce gametes with ________ different sets of chromosomes.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since the female M. pilosula has only one pair of chromosomes, each gamete can only have one of those chromosomes. Therefore, she can only produce gametes with two different sets of chromosomes: one with the maternal chromosome and one without it.

The Ant Myrmecia Pilosula Has the Smallest Number of Chromosomes