The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has four pairs of chromosomes, whereas the house fly Musca domestica has six pairs of chromosomes. In which species would you expect to see more genetic variation among the progeny of a cross?

Question

Karla Branch

Biology

21 August, 13:55

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has four pairs of chromosomes, whereas the house fly Musca domestica has six pairs of chromosomes. In which species would you expect to see more genetic variation among the progeny of a cross?

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Answers (1)

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Tater Tot · Answer 1

Musca domestica

Explanation:

The number of unique gametes produced by a diploid individual is 2^n, where n is the number of pairs of chromosomes (or the haploid number).

For that reason, species with higher number of homologous chromosome pairs will show greater genetic variation in the progeny.

Drosophila melanogaster has four pairs of chromosomes, so it can produce 2^4=16 different gametes. Musca domestica has six pairs of chromosomes, so it can produce 2^6=64 different gametes.

Musca domestica has more genetic variation.