Following the cell division of a eukaryotic cell, the two daughter cells end up with the wrong number of chromosomes. One has one too many chromosomes and the other has one too few. During which phase of mitosis did this error likely occur?
telophase
did you just answer your own question
The error you described, where the two daughter cells from a eukaryotic cell division have an incorrect number of chromosomes, is known as chromosomal nondisjunction. Nondisjunction can occur during the process of mitosis or meiosis.
However, since you specifically mentioned mitosis, we will focus on this process. Mitosis is a type of cell division that occurs in somatic cells, where one cell divides into two identical daughter cells. The process of mitosis consists of several distinct phases: prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.
Chromosomal nondisjunction can occur during anaphase, which is the phase in which the replicated chromosomes (sister chromatids) separate and move toward opposite poles of the cell. In a normal mitotic division, the chromatids of each chromosome should separate and distribute equally between the daughter cells. However, if nondisjunction occurs, the chromatids may fail to separate correctly, leading to an unequal distribution of chromosomes.
In your described scenario, if one daughter cell has one too many chromosomes (an extra one) and the other has one too few, it suggests that nondisjunction likely occurred during anaphase of mitosis. Specifically, one pair of sister chromatids failed to separate properly, resulting in one daughter cell receiving an extra copy (trisomy), while the other cell is missing one copy (monosomy) of that particular chromosome.
It's important to note that this is a simplified explanation, and there are other factors and processes involved in chromosomal nondisjunction. However, if you encounter a situation where two daughter cells have an incorrect number of chromosomes after a eukaryotic cell division, an error during anaphase of mitosis is a likely explanation.