Mating between a male donkey (2n = 62) and a female horse (2n = 64) produces sterile mules. Recently, however, a very rare event occurred—a female mule gave birth to an offspring by mating with a horse.
Determine how many chromosomes are in the mule karyotype, and explain why mules are generally sterile.

If the haploid number for a plant species is 4, how many chromosomes are found in a member of the species that has one of the following characteristics? Explain your reasoning in each case.

Diploidy

Mating between a male donkey (2n = 62) and a female horse (2n = 64) produces sterile mules. Recently, however, a very rare event occurred—a female mule gave birth to an offspring by mating with a horse.

Why is it very unlikely that the offspring will have fully horse-like genetic characteristics?

Mating between a male donkey (2n = 62) and a female horse (2n = 64) produces sterile mules. Recently, however, a very rare event occurred—a female mule gave birth to an offspring by mating with a horse.

How many chromosomes does the mule–horse offspring carry?

The most common reason a physician might recommend that a woman have maternal serum screening and a karyotype analysis is concern that her fetus may have Down syndrome. Go to the OMIM website at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim and look up Down syndrome (OMIM 190685).

Summarize what is known about the location and genes found within the DSCR.

The most common reason a physician might recommend that a woman have maternal serum screening and a karyotype analysis is concern that her fetus may have Down syndrome. Go to the OMIM website at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim and look up Down syndrome (OMIM 190685).

How might those genes lead to the main symptoms of Down syndrome?

Dr. Ara B. Dopsis has an idea he thinks will be a boon to agriculture. He wants to create the 'pomato,' a hybrid between a tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) that has 12 chromosomes and a potato (Solanum tuberosum) that has 48 chromosomes. Dr. Dopsis is hoping his new pomato will have tuber growth like a potato and the fruit production of a tomato. He joins a haploid gamete from each species to form a hybrid and then induces doubling of chromosome number.

Can Dr. Dopsis be sure the polyploid will have the characteristics he wants? Why or why not?

Dr. Ara B. Dopsis has an idea he thinks will be a boon to agriculture. He wants to create the 'pomato,' a hybrid between a tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) that has 12 chromosomes and a potato (Solanum tuberosum) that has 48 chromosomes. Dr. Dopsis is hoping his new pomato will have tuber growth like a potato and the fruit production of a tomato. He joins a haploid gamete from each species to form a hybrid and then induces doubling of chromosome number.

How many chromosomes will the polyploid have after chromosome doubling?