Diploid

Diploid refers to a cell or an organism that has paired chromosomes, one from each parent. In a diploid state, the genome is composed of two complete sets of chromosomes. Most species are diploid, including humans, who have 46 chromosomes.

Overview

In a diploid organism, the genome consists of two complete sets of chromosomes. One set is inherited from the organism's mother and the other from the father. Therefore, every cell (except for sperm and egg cells) in a diploid organism has two homologous copies of each chromosome.

Diploid in Humans

In humans, the diploid number of chromosomes is 46. This includes 22 pairs of autosomes and one pair of sex chromosomes. This is usually written as 2n=46, where n represents the haploid number of chromosomes.

Diploid Life Cycle

The life cycle of a diploid organism involves the fusion of two haploid cells (gametes) to form a diploid zygote. The zygote undergoes mitosis to produce a multicellular organism. When the organism reproduces, it produces haploid gametes through a process called meiosis.

See Also

• Haploid
• Polyploid
• Chromosome
• Genome
• Mitosis
• Meiosis

References

Diploid Resources
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