All members of the golden hamster species known today are descendants of a single litter collected in Syria in 1939. Its diploid chromosome number is 44. Two other species of hamster, each with a diploid number of 22, overlap geographically in Syria. The golden hamster is thought to be a new species from the mating of a male and female of the two other hamster species. What mechanism might explain this recent event of speciation?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Polyploidy is a mechanism where an organism has more than two complete sets of chromosomes. In this case, the golden hamster's diploid number of 44 suggests it could have arisen from the doubling of chromosomes from a hybrid of the two other hamster species, each with a diploid number of 22.

All Members of the Golden Hamster Species Known Today Are