Question

How many pairs of homologous chromosomes are there during prophase II of meiosis II in an animal that has a haploid number of 20?

Answer 1

The haploid number is 20, this means that 20 pairs of homologous chromosomes are there during prophase II of meiosis II. The meiosis I results in the reduction of chromosome number to half (haploid). The chromosome number remains unchanged during meiosis II. The homologous chromosomes that had paired in prophase separate and move to the opposite poles of the cell during anaphase I, thus the chromosome number is reduced to haploid number. Meiosis II is concerned with the separation of chromosome into sister chromatids. Hence, there will be 20 pairs of homologous chromosomes during prophase II of meiosis II in an animal cell.