In a typical angiosperm, if the leaf cells contain 24 chromosomes, what will be the number of chromosomes in the structures formed immediately by the fusion of the first male gamete and the second male gamete, respectively?

Step-by-step solution

The leaf cell of an angiosperm is a vegetative somatic cell and is diploid ( 2n ). Given, 2n = 24 , which means the haploid chromosome number ( n ) of the gametes and other embryo sac cells is 12 . During double fertilization in angiosperms: 1. The first male gamete ( n=12 ) fuses with the egg cell ( n=12 ) to form a diploid zygote ( 2n = 24 ). This process is called syngamy. 2. The second male gamete ( n=12 ) fuses with the two polar nuclei ( n+n = 12+12 ) in the central cell to form a triploid Primary Endosperm N