NEETZoologyPrinciples of Inheritance and Variation
Select the correct statement regarding sex determination and gametogenesis.
Options
- AIn grasshoppers, males have one chromosome less than females and produce sperms by mitosis.
- BIn domestic fowls, males are homogametic and produce sperms by mitosis.
- CIn honey bees, females are diploid and produce eggs by mitosis, while males are haploid and produce sperms by
- DIn honey bees, males are haploid and produce sperms by mitosis, whereas females are diploid and produce eggs b
Correct answer
D. In honey bees, males are haploid and produce sperms by mitosis, whereas females are diploid and produce eggs b
Step-by-step solution
In the haplo-diploid sex-determination system of honey bees, females (queens and workers) are diploid and produce eggs by meiosis. Males (drones) are haploid because they develop parthenogenetically from unfertilised eggs. Since males are already haploid, they produce sperms by mitosis, not meiosis. In grasshoppers (XX-XO system) and domestic fowls (ZZ-ZW system), both males and females are diploid organisms. Therefore, regardless of whether they are homogametic or heterogametic, they produce gametes (sperms and eg