A gymnosperms leaf carries 16 chromosomes. Number of chromosomes in its endosperm shall be

Options

A. 16
B. 23
C. 12
D. 8

Answer

To solve the question regarding the number of chromosomes in the endosperm of a gymnosperm leaf that carries 16 chromosomes, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Chromosome Number in the Leaf:**
- The problem states that a gymnosperm's leaf carries 16 chromosomes. This means that the leaf is diploid (2n), where n represents the haploid number of chromosomes.

2. **Determine the Diploid Number:**
- Since the leaf is diploid and has 16 chromosomes, we can express this as:
\[ 2n = 16 \]

3. **Calculate the Haploid Number:**
- To find the haploid number (n), we divide the diploid number by 2:
\[ n = \frac{2n}{2} = \frac{16}{2} = 8 \]

4. **Understand the Nature of Endosperm in Gymnosperms:**
- In gymnosperms, the endosperm is a haploid structure, which means it contains only n chromosomes. Since we have already calculated n to be 8, this indicates that the endosperm will also have 8 chromosomes.

5. **Conclusion:**
- Therefore, the number of chromosomes in the endosperm of the gymnosperm is 8.

### Final Answer:
The number of chromosomes in the endosperm of the gymnosperm is **8**.

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