Question

after one egg cell and one sperm cell unite during fertilization to produce a zygote, the zygote copies its dna and undergoes mitosis to divide into two daughter cells. then, the two daughter cells each copy their dna and divide again. this process repeats until the zygote has transformed into the multitude of somatic cells that make up a fully developed organism.

decide whether each statement describes a gamete, a zygote, or both.

contains one allele for each gene
contains two sets of homologous chromosomes
contains half the number of chromosomes as a somatic cell
undergoes mitosis repeatedly to produce a fully developed organism
is diploid

gamete
zygote

Explanation:

• Gametes (sperm/egg) are haploid: they carry one allele per gene, have half the chromosome count of somatic (body) cells.
• Zygotes form from gamete fusion, making them diploid (two homologous chromosome sets). They undergo repeated mitosis to develop into a full organism.

Answer:

Gamete:

• Contains one allele for each gene
• Contains half the number of chromosomes as a somatic cell

Zygote:

• Contains two sets of homologous chromosomes
• Undergoes mitosis repeatedly to produce a fully developed organism
• Is diploid