Question

If a parent cell has 22 chromosomes, the daughter cells following meiosis II will have a. 22 chromosomes. b. 44 chromosomes. c. 11 chromosomes. d. Any of these could be correct.

Short answer

c. 11 chromosomes.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding Meiosis

Meiosis is a type of cell division that occurs in specialized cells of sexually-reproducing organisms, resulting in the production of gametes (sperm and egg cells). It consists of two successive divisions, meiosis I and meiosis II, which reduce the chromosome number in the daughter cells by half, ensuring that the offspring will have the correct number of chromosomes when the gametes combine during fertilization.

Meiosis I

During meiosis I, homologous chromosomes pair up and exchange genetic material through a process called crossing over. This results in the formation of two daughter cells, each having half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell. In our case, if the parent cell has 22 chromosomes, the daughter cells will have half of that number, which is 11 chromosomes.

Meiosis II

Meiosis II is similar to mitosis. The sister chromatids are separated and distributed to two different daughter cells, resulting in no change in the number of chromosomes (as compared to the end of meiosis I). So, after meiosis II, each daughter cell will still have 11 chromosomes.

Answer and Explanation

Based on our understanding of meiosis and the division of chromosomes, we can conclude that the correct answer is: c. 11 chromosomes. After meiosis II, the daughter cells will have half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell, which in this case is 11 chromosomes.