• A diploid cell is a cell that contains?two complete sets of chromosomes (2n)
  • These chromosomes contain the DNA necessary for protein synthesis and cell function
  • Nearly all cells in the human body are?diploid?with 23?pairs?(46) of chromosomes in their nucleus
• Haploid cells contain?one complete set of chromosomes (n)
  • In other words they have half the number of chromosomes compared to diploid cells
  • Humans have?haploid?cells that contain 23 chromosomes in their nucleus
  • These haploid cells are called?gametes?and they are involved in sexual reproduction
  • For humans they are the female egg and the male sperm
• Haploidy and diploidy are terms that can be applied to cells across different species
  • They describe the number of?sets?of chromosomes, not the total number of chromosomes

Haploid (n) and Diploid (2n) cells

• During fertilization the?nuclei of?gametes?fuse together?to form the?nucleus of the?zygote
• Both gametes must contain the correct number of chromosomes in order for the zygote to be viable. If a zygote has too many or too few chromosomes it may not survive
• For a diploid zygote this means that the?gametes must be haploid
  • n + n = 2n
• Meiosis produces haploid gametes during sexual reproduction
• The first cell division of meiosis is a?reduction division
  • This is a?nuclear division that reduces the chromosome number?of a cell
  • In humans the chromosome number is reduced from 46 (diploid) to 23 (haploid)
• The reduction in chromosome number during meiosis ensures the gametes formed are haploid

The maintenance of chromosome number through reduction division in a mammalian life cycle