Suppose a Researcher Claims to Be Able to Make a Hybrid

Short Answer

Suppose a researcher claims to be able to make a hybrid animal that is a cross between a goat and a horse. This animal has been termed "gorse." The normal diploid number for a goat is 60, and the normal diploid number for a horse is 62. Ignore the ethics here, and answer the following. Based on normal meiosis, a goat gamete (haploid) should have ________ chromosomes, whereas a horse gamete (haploid) should have ________ chromosomes. This means we would expect our hybrid gorse to contain a total of ________ chromosomes per cell. Let's assume our researcher beats the odds and that this hybrid "gorse" survives. Even if the hybrid survives, it is likely that it will be sterile. Referring to the above numbers, you can see that a problem is likely to occur when the hybrid produces its gametes. Explain what that problem will be.