Question

Discuss with your teacher about

(i) Haploid insects and lower plants where cell-division occurs and

(ii) Some haploid cells in higher plants where cell-division does not occur?

Answer 1

(i) In some insects and lower plants, fertilization is immediately followed by zygotic meiosis, which leads to the production of haploid organisms. This type of life cycle is known as a haplontic life cycle.

(ii) The phenomenon of polyploidy can be observed in some haploid cells in higher plants in which cell division does not occur. Polyploidy is a state in which cells contain multiple pairs of chromosomes than the basic set. Polyploidy can be artificially induced in plants by applying colchicine to cell culture.