Chromosome Mutations

Question 1

What are chromosome mutations?

Answer 1

Changes in the structure or number of whole chromosomes

Question 2

How do chromosomes mutations arise?

Answer 2

They can arise spontaneously

Question 3

What are the two main types of chromosome mutations?

Answer 3

1) Changes in whole sets of chromosomes (polyploidy)

2) Changes in the number of individual chromosomes (due to nondisjunction)

Question 4

What is polyploidy, and which organisms is it most commonly found?

Answer 4

A condition where organisms have three or more sets of chromosomes instead of the usual two

Polyploidy is most commonly found in plant organisms

Question 5

What causes a change in the number of individual chromosomes?

Answer 5

Nondisjunction during meiosis

Question 6

What is non disjunction?

Answer 6

When homologous chromosomes fail to separate during meiosis, resulting in gametes with one more or one fewer chromosome

Question 7

What happens if a gamete affected by nondisjunction is fertilised by a normal gamete?

Answer 7

The resulting offspring have more or fewer chromosomes than normal in all their body cells