Wheat endosperm contains 42 chromosomes. How many chromosomes do its gametes contain?
September 28, 2020 | Education
| All angiosperms are characterized by double fertilization, as a result of which two sperm of the pollen grain germinate to the embryo sac. One of them fertilizes the egg (a zygote is formed – 2n), and the second fuses with the central (diploid) cell of the embryo sac. Accordingly, the endosperm has a triple set of chromosomes (Zl – triploid). Gametes of any living organism normally have a single set of chromosomes, that is, they are haploid (l). Thus, to determine how many chromosomes wheat gametes contain, we divide the number of endosperm chromosomes (42) by 3. 42 chromosomes (3r): 3 = 14 chromosomes (l).
Answer: 14.
