Which of the following statements explains why animals are less likely than plants to speciate by polyploidy?
A) Animals self-fertilize less often than plants, so diploid gametes are less likely to fuse.
B) Animals have better mechanisms for repairing chromosomes than plants have.
C) Animals are more mobile, so they have more effective prezygotic isolating mechanisms.
D) Animals are more mobile, so populations get separated far less often.
E) Animals use a more rigorous form of meiosis than plants, making diploid gametes much more difficult to form.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Animals self-fertilize less often than plants, which means there are fewer opportunities for diploid gametes to fuse, a process that can lead to polyploidy. Polyploidy is more common in plants partly because of their higher incidence of self-fertilization, which can facilitate the fusion of diploid gametes.

Which of the Following Statements Explains Why Animals Are Less