Mules are sterile and are the result of crossing a horse with a donkey. This is an example of:Group of answer choiceslow hybrid zygote viabilitylow hybrid adult viabilityhybrid zonegametic isolationhybrid infertility
Question
Mules are sterile and are the result of crossing a horse with a donkey. This is an example of:Group of answer choiceslow hybrid zygote viabilitylow hybrid adult viabilityhybrid zonegametic isolationhybrid infertility
Solution
This is an example of hybrid infertility.
Here's why:
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A mule is a hybrid animal that is produced when a horse and a donkey mate.
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Despite being healthy and fully capable of survival, mules are typically sterile, meaning they cannot produce offspring of their own.
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This sterility is due to the fact that horses and donkeys have a different number of chromosomes. A horse has 64 chromosomes and a donkey has 62. The mule, as their offspring, ends up with 63. This uneven number of chromosomes prevents the mule from producing viable gametes (sperm or eggs), which is necessary for reproduction.
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Therefore, this is an example of hybrid infertility, which is a type of postzygotic barrier. Postzygotic barriers prevent hybrid offspring from passing on their genes to future generations, thus maintaining the separation of the two original species (in this case, horses and donkeys).
Similar Questions
The mule is the result of the interbreeding of two separate species. Mules cannot form fertile, viable offspring with horses, donkeys, or mules. The mule is therefore an example of which of the following?Multiple choice question.A species that originated because of an autopolyploid event in the horseA hybrid species that can produce viable offspringA new species that originated through hybridizationA species that evolved allopatrically to the horseA sterile hybrid
If you mate a donkey (2n = 62) with a horse (2n = 64) you get a mule. Mules are sterile and cannot produce gametes by meiosis because theyMultiple Choicecontain too few chromosomes.have an odd number of chromosomes.have an even number of chromosomes.contain too many chromosomes.lack genes that are essential for life.
In many ways, a mule is a superior animal to the horse or donkey. Mules are often stronger and can jump higher than either of their parents. Why, then, are mules considered to be a "weak hybrid"?They are more prone to disease than are horses and donkeys.They are sterile.They do not live as long as horses and donkeys.Their offspring are progressively weaker than the parents.
Which of the following produces hybrids such as mules?Group of answer choicespremating isolating mechanismsepigeneticsasexual reproductionpostmating isolating mechanisms
Which is left unexplained by the biological species concept, thereby weakening the concept?Multiple choice question.The existence of viable, but sterile hybrids (such as the mule)Hybridization in natural settingsHybridization in captivity
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