In flowering plants, double fertilization and triple fusion is a unique phenomenon. For a given plant, during the study of the endosperm, it was found that it has 24 chromosomes. What will the number of chromosomes in microspore mother cells be?

Options

A. 12
B. 48
C. 16
D. 24

Answer

To solve the problem, we need to determine the number of chromosomes in the microspore mother cells based on the information given about the endosperm.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding the Terms**:
- **Double Fertilization**: This is a process in flowering plants where one male gamete fuses with the egg cell (syngamy) and another male gamete fuses with the two polar nuclei (triple fusion).
- **Endosperm**: This is the tissue that provides nourishment to the developing embryo in seed plants. It is formed from the triple fusion and is triploid (3n).
- **Microspore Mother Cells (MMC)**: These are diploid (2n) cells that undergo meiosis to produce haploid microspores, which develop into male gametes.

2. **Given Information**:
- The endosperm has 24 chromosomes. Since the endosperm is triploid (3n), we can set up the equation:
\[ 3n = 24 \]

3. **Calculating n**:
- To find n (the haploid number of chromosomes), we divide the total number of chromosomes in the endosperm by 3:
\[ n = \frac{24}{3} = 8 \]

4. **Finding the Number of Chromosomes in Microspore Mother Cells**:
- Since microspore mother cells are diploid (2n), we can calculate the number of chromosomes in these cells:
\[ 2n = 2 \times 8 = 16 \]

5. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, the number of chromosomes in the microspore mother cells is **16**.

### Final Answer:
The number of chromosomes in the microspore mother cells is **16**.

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