During meiosis II, one spindle fiber fails to attach to a chromosome at the centromere. How will this affect the genetic content of the daughter cells?
A)One daughter cell will have two chromosomes and the other daughter cell will have no chromosomes.
B)One daughter cell will have only maternal genes and the other daughter cell will have only paternal genes.
C)One daughter cell will contain one extra chromosome and the other daughter cell will have one less of that chromosome.
D)One daughter cell will have three copies of a chromosome and the other daughter cell will have two copies of that chromosome.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The failure of one spindle fiber to attach to a chromosome means that during meiosis II, that chromosome will not be pulled apart properly. This results in one daughter cell having an extra chromosome (due to not receiving one during meiosis II) and the other daughter cell having one fewer chromosome (due to receiving two copies of that chromosome during meiosis II). This situation is known as nondisjunction.

During Meiosis II, One Spindle Fiber Fails to Attach to a Chromosome