Based on the Mitosis, Meiosis lab, how many unique gametes would be produced by independent assortment alone, in a cell with 6 pairs of chromosomes.

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Based on the Mitosis, Meiosis lab,  how many unique gametes would be produced by independent assortment alone, in a cell with 6 pairs of chromosomes.

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Take a careful look at the core concept: independent assortment during meiosis produces gametes that differ by alleles along each chromosome, and with n chromosome pairs, the number of unique gametes is 2^n.
Option 1: 5 — This is far too small for 6 chromosome pairs. Since each pair can independently orient its maternal or paternal chromosome, the total combinations explode beyond single-digit values.
Option 2: 32 — While 32 equals 2^5, it would correspond to 5 chromosome pairs, not 6. With 6 pairs, the exponent must be 6, not 5, so this undercounts the possibilities.
Option 3: 10 — This value has no direct relation to the combinatorial count from independent assortment for 6 pairs; it resembles even smaller or unrelated numerical reasoning rather than 2^n.
Option 4: 64 — 64 is 2^6, which matches the principle: with 6 chromosome pairs, there are 2 choices (maternal or paternal) for each pair, and 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 yields 64 unique gametes.
In summary, the only number that aligns with the 2^n rule for n = 6 is 64, reflecting all possible combinations of independently assorted chromosomes across six homologous pairs.

SMC 2025 Spr - BIOL 3 (1286,1288) - Fundamentals of Biology (G) Quiz 8 (Gen)

Based on the Mitosis, Meiosis lab, how many unique gametes would be produced by independent assortment alone, in a cell with 6 pairs of chromosomes.

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