Question

Meiosis occurs in _________.

• A. Haploid cells
• B. Mostly haploid cells but occasionally in diploid cells
• C. Diploid cells
• D. Mostly diploid cells but occasionally in haploid cells

Answer 1

The correct option is C Diploid cells

Meiosis is a special type of cell division, a process where a single cell divides two times to produce four haploid cells, each not only containing half the original amount of genetic information but also genetically distinct from the parent cell that gave rise to them. This process occurs in all sexually reproducing single-celled and multicellular eukaryotes including animals, plants and fungi. Meiosis produces our sex cells or gametes (eggs in females and sperm in males, both haploid cells). When a sperm and an egg join in fertilization, the two haploid sets of chromosomes form a complete diploid set which gives rise to a new genome. Therefore, in meiosis, a diploid cell (2n; one that has two sets of chromosomes), becomes a haploid cell (n; one that has one set of chromosomes). Therefore, it is a very important process because errors in this result in aneuploidy, developmental abnormalities etc.

The correct answer is option C.