Video Transcript
Most land snails, as shown in the picture, are hermaphrodites, which means one individual produces both male and female gametes. Which of the following statements is true about these gametes? (A) Each gamete will be haploid. (B) The sperm will be haploid and the eggs will be diploid. (C) Each gamete will be diploid. Or (D) these gametes will not be able to fertilize each other.
This question is referring to snails that are hermaphroditic organisms. Hermaphroditic organisms are particularly interesting as they’re capable of producing both male and female gametes. We’re asked to work out which of the following statements is true about gametes.
So, to start off, let’s have a look at the key features of gametes to work out which statement is correct. Gametes are an organism’s reproductive cells, which contain half the genetic material of a normal body cell. Gametes are formed through a type of cell division called meiosis. During meiosis, a diploid cell like this one, which has a full set of chromosomes represented as two n, undergoes two rounds of cell division to form four daughter cells. Each of these cells are referred to as haploid cells as they contain half the genetic information of the original diploid cell. This is often represented as n.
These haploid cells are gametes, and these gametes may either be egg cells or sperm cells. Regardless of whether these gametes are egg cells or sperm cells, they will all contain half the genetic material of a normal body cell. The process of meiosis is effectively the same regardless of whether it occurs in humans, plants, or even hermaphroditic organisms like land snails. Therefore, even though the snail produces its own male and female gametes, all of these gametes will still be haploid.
With this information, we can work out that the correct answer to our question is (A). Each gamete will be haploid.
