The table below provides the number of chromosomes found in the body cells of various types of organisms.

diploid chromosome number

fruit fly
8

human
46

goldfish
94

which of the following is the best explanation for why the chromosome numbers above are all even?

a.) animal cells always have an even number of chromosomes, and plant cells always have an odd number of chromosomes.
b.) the number of chromosomes present in a diploid cell doubles for each generation because there are two parent

Answer;

B.) The number of chromosomes present in a diploid cell doubles for each generation because there are two parent.

Explanation;

-A diploid cell is a cell that contains two sets of chromosomes. This is double the haploid chromosome number. Each pair of chromosomes in a diploid cell is considered to be one homologous chromosome set.

-A single chromosome set consists of two chromosomes, one of which is donated from the mother and the other from the father. Humans have 23 sets of homologous chromosomes (which makes  46 chromosomes).

what are your answer choices?

an individual’s sex (i.e., whether they are a male or female) is determined by the sex chromosomes. most people have two sex chromosomes, one that is inherited from their mother and one that is inherited from their father. typically, females have two x chromosomes (xx) and males have one x chromosome and one y chromosome (xy). conditions caused by changes (“mutations”) in genes located on the x chromosome are considered x-linked.

x-linked recessive inheritance

most x-linked conditions are recessive. this means that in a person with two x chromosomes (most females), both copies of a gene (i.e., one on each x chromosome) must have a change or mutation whereas in a person with one x chromosome (most males), only one copy of a gene must have a mutation. a female with a mutation in one copy of a gene on the x chromosome is said to be a “carrier” for an x-linked condition. a male with a mutation in a gene on the x chromosome is typically affected with the condition. because females have two copies of the x chromosome and males have only one x chromosome, x-linked recessive diseases are more common among males than females. however, x-linked recessive diseases can occur in both males and females.

for x-linked recessive disorders, an unaffected carrier mother who has a mutation in a gene on the x chromosome can transmit either the x chromosome with this mutation or a “normal” x chromosome to her children. if the father is unaffected, none of her daughters will be affected and all of her daughters will be unaffected—since they will inherit at least one normal x chromosome from their father. however, each daughter will have a 50% chance of being an unaffected carrier like her mother and a 50% chance of both x chromosomes being normal.