You are studying mitosis in a species of snake. You notice that during mitosis of diploid cells there are 7 groups of chromosomes on the metaphase plate. Is it surprising that this is an odd number? Why or why not?
No, it is not surprising that it is given 7 groups of chromosomes, that is, each chromosome is paired. This makes 7 × 2 = 14 chromosomes in the entire meta phase plate.
The human meta phase represents the 23 groups of chromosomes on the plate, that is, 23 × 2 = 46 chromosomes.
Every organism on this planet has several chromosomes in diploid or 2N, otherwise an equal distribution of chromosomes on the any phase is not possible.
