Which term describes a haploid reproductive cell that unites with another to form a zygote?

Which term describes a haploid reproductive cell that unites with another to form a zygote?

• A. Zygote
• B. Gamete
• C. Chromosome
• D. Allele

Answer: (B)

Haploid reproductive cells that unite to form a zygote are called gametes. They carry a single set of chromosomes and come together during fertilization to restore the diploid chromosome number in the zygote. In animals, sperm and eggs are both gametes; in plants, pollen and ovules serve the same role. The zygote, by contrast, is the fertilized cell that results from this union and is diploid. A chromosome is the DNA-containing structure within cells, not a cell type, and an allele is a version of a gene, not a cell. So the term that fits the description is gamete.

Haploid reproductive cells that unite to form a zygote are called gametes. They carry a single set of chromosomes and come together during fertilization to restore the diploid chromosome number in the zygote. In animals, sperm and eggs are both gametes; in plants, pollen and ovules serve the same role. The zygote, by contrast, is the fertilized cell that results from this union and is diploid. A chromosome is the DNA-containing structure within cells, not a cell type, and an allele is a version of a gene, not a cell. So the term that fits the description is gamete.