Why should germ cells have a haploid and not a diploid set of chromosomes?

Why should germ cells have a haploid and not a diploid set of chromosomes? Imagine they are diploid. What are the possible consequences?

1) Sex cells are involved in an important process – in fertilization. At the same time, their haploid nuclei merge, restoring the diploid set and combining the features of both parents. Sex cells are formed by meiosis, and therefore have a haploid set.

2) If the germ cells had a double set of chromosomes, then it would double in each subsequent generation. This would lead to polyploidy, due to which some symptoms would be more pronounced, including various diseases. Also, with such a set of chromosomes, representatives of different generations could have difficulties with reproduction.



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