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Multiple Choice
How many homologous chromosome pairs are found in a horse's somatic cells?
A
23 pairs
B
64 pairs
C
46 pairs
D
32 pairs
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand that somatic cells are any cells forming the body of an organism, excluding germ cells. In diploid organisms, somatic cells contain two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent.
Recognize that homologous chromosomes are pairs of chromosomes that have the same structure and gene sequence, but may have different alleles. Each pair consists of one chromosome from the mother and one from the father.
Identify that the total number of chromosomes in a horse's somatic cells is 64. This means there are 64 individual chromosomes present in these cells.
Since somatic cells are diploid, the number of homologous chromosome pairs is half the total number of chromosomes. Therefore, divide the total number of chromosomes by 2 to find the number of homologous pairs.
Calculate: \( \frac{64}{2} \) to determine the number of homologous chromosome pairs in a horse's somatic cells, which results in 32 pairs.