3.1 outline the roles of Sutton and Boveri in identifying the importance of chromosomes
Through sea urchins Boveri showed how a complete set of chromosomes is necessary for normal development of an organism.
Sutton studied chromosomes through testis of a grasshopper, his experiment provided evidence to account for Mendel’s factors and that they were carried by chromosomes.
Sutton’s data showed that;
• hereditary units are carried and transmitted with chromosomes
• Chromosomes occur as homologous pairs (matching pairs)
• As a result of meiosis, every gamete receives only one chromosome of each chromosome pair.
• Chromosomes keep their individuality throughout cell division
• Hereditary factors are more numerous than chromosomes, each chromosome has to carry many units.
It was found that the behaviour of chromosomes during the formation of sex cells and fertilization matches the patterns of inheritance that Mendel had described.
They both found that the behaviour of chromosomes and the inheritance of genes were similar.
Sutton stated that each chromosome was unique and that during meiosis the number of chromosomes is halved.
The idea that genes were located on chromosomes became known as the Sutton-Boveri chromosome hypothesis.
If Boveri knew about Mendel’s factors he would of concluded that Mendel’s factors are located in the nucleus. He stated that the NUCLEUS of a cell, not the cytoplasm is concerned with inheritance.
Sutton recognized that homologous pairs of chromosomes segregate or move apart, during meiosis and the resulting gametes having one from each pair.