What is a karyotype?
Q: What is a karyotype?
A: A karyotype is the number and appearance of chromosomes in the nucleus of a eukaryote cell. It describes the number of chromosomes, and what they look like under a light microscope.
Q: What is cytogenetics?
A: Cytogenetics is the preparation and study of karyotypes which combines cytology (the study of cells) and genetics (the study of heredity).
Q: What is the somatic number?
A: The somatic number refers to the basic number of chromosomes in the somatic (body) cells of an individual or species, designated 2n. For example, in humans 2n = 46.
Q: How many copies are present in normal diploid organisms?
A: In normal diploid organisms, there are two copies of each chromosome present.
Q: What does a karyogram show?
A: A karyogram or idiogram shows chromosomes arranged by size and position of centromere for chromosomes that have similar sizes. It can be used to show genetic disease, sex, diploid number, etc.
Q: How can karyotypes help identify genetic abnormalities before birth? A: Karyotypes can be studied to help identify any potential genetic abnormalities that a baby might have before it is born.
Q: How can karyotypes provide information about past evolutionary events?
A: Karyotypes may also be studied to gather information about past evolutionary events such as polyploidy (having multiple sets of chromosomes).
