Why is it important that gametes contain only half of the number of chromosomes present in body cells?

Answer 1

Body cells have the full number of chromosomes because they reproduce by binary fission. They grow, then divide into two halves. Each of these must have the same number of chromosomes as the original. Gametes however, sperm and eggs have one half becsaue upon fertilization they combine to form the full amount of chromosomes. If they both had the full amount the fertilization would result in double the amount of chromosomes necessary

Answer 2

It ensures that when two gametes combine during fertilization, the resulting zygote will have the correct number of chromosomes. This helps maintain the genetic stability and diversity of the species.

Answer 3

A gamete will only have one half of the number of chromosomes found in body cells because two gametes have to come together. This means that the two gametes have to have only half of the chromosomes.

Answer 4

Gametes are involved in sexual reproduction. In order for the resulting cell from two gametes merging to have the correct number and arrangement of chromosomes, the gametes themselves need to each have exactly half of the chromosomes. If this fraction varied in any way, extreme defects would occur due to the highly different genes the resulting cell would have.

Answer 5

Gametes are not body cells, they are sex cells. They must have only 23 chromosomes since they will give only half to their offspring during sexual reproduction. The father will give 23 chromosomes in his sperm (male gamete) and the mother will give the other 23 chromosomes in her ovum (female gamete) So the baby will have its 46 half mother's part and half father's part.

Answer 6

A gamate contains half the information needed. One gamate is supplied by each parent during the birthing process.

If a gamate contained "all" of the information used to create a child, you would simply be creating clones of the single parent always with the same chromosomes duplicated endlessly without genetic diversity.

So a gamate could in theory contain all of the chromosomes but it would lead to a genetic dead end instead of the genetic diversity created by mixing chromosomes from different parents.

Answer 7

Gametes are used in the Diploid cycle, which dominates the reproduction cycle of many organisms, such as humans.

With that being said, you get half of your genes from your dad, and half from your mom.

In order to do this, your dad contributes a sperm cell, which contains half of all of his genes (the genes in each sperm cell differ, as it is random the order in thiwhc they are passed on), and you mom contributes an egg cell, containing the other half of the zygote's (fertilized egg) needed genes.

Simplest form:

Gametes must only have half of the chromosomes, because two are added, and when these two are added, the produced cell must have only the normal amount of chromosomes.

Answer 8

Gametes are reproductive cells, such as sperm and egg. As gametes are produced, the number of chromosomes must be reduced by half. Why? The zygote must contain genetic information from the mother and from the father, so the gametes must contain half of the chromosomes found in normal body cells.

Answer 9

because body cells have 2n chromosomes (two from each) - they are diploid, so when two gamets conjugate they must have only n chromosomes (haploid) => n + n = 2 n

Answer 10

So that the number of chromosomes remains the same in subsequent generations.