A male honeybee has 16 chromosomes whereas its female has 32 chromosomes. This is due to :

Options

A. Polyploidy
B. Aneuloploidy
C. Haplodiploidy
D. Diplohaploidy

Answer

To solve the question regarding the chromosome count in male and female honeybees, we need to understand the underlying genetic mechanism that leads to this difference. The key points are as follows:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Chromosome Count**:
- Male honeybees (drones) have 16 chromosomes.
- Female honeybees (queens and workers) have 32 chromosomes.

2. **Sex Determination in Honeybees**:
- Honeybee reproduction involves a queen (female) and drones (males).
- The queen lays eggs that can either be fertilized or unfertilized.

3. **Fertilization Process**:
- When a queen lays an egg and it is fertilized by a drone's sperm, the resulting zygote has a diploid chromosome number.
- In this case, the egg contributes 16 chromosomes, and the sperm contributes another 16 chromosomes, resulting in a total of 32 chromosomes for females.

4. **Development of Males**:
- If an egg is not fertilized, it develops into a male honeybee through a process called parthenogenesis.
- The unfertilized egg remains haploid, containing only 16 chromosomes, which is why male honeybees have only 16 chromosomes.

5. **Conclusion**:
- The difference in chromosome number between male and female honeybees is due to a reproductive mechanism known as **haplodiploidy**. In this system, males develop from haploid eggs (unfertilized), while females develop from diploid zygotes (fertilized eggs).

### Final Answer:
This difference in chromosome numbers is due to **haplodiploidy**.

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