Assume that one haploid nucleus of a fungus with a dikaryotic life cycle contains 16 chromosomes.At the basidiospore stage, the fungus has _______ chromosomes.
A) 4
B) 8
C) 16
D) 32
E) 64

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In a dikaryotic fungus, two haploid nuclei fuse to form a dikaryon, which contains two genetically distinct haploid nuclei that do not fuse. Each haploid nucleus has a set of chromosomes, so the total number of chromosomes in a dikaryon is twice the haploid number. Therefore, if one haploid nucleus in a dikaryon has 16 chromosomes, the dikaryon has a total of 2 x 16 = 32 chromosomes. However, at the basidiospore stage, the dikaryon undergoes meiosis, which reduces the chromosome number by half. Therefore, each basidiospore would contain 16 chromosomes, the haploid number for this fungus.

Assume That One Haploid Nucleus of a Fungus with a Dikaryotic