A fellow student in the class is looking at a slide of onion root tip cells and is excited that he can see the chromosomes undergoing anaphase 1. How do you know that he is incorrect The chromosomes would not be coiled up during Anaphase 1 and therefore he would not be able to distinguish them Onion root tip cells do not undergo anaphase 1 He would need to use an electron microscope to see chromosomes Plants do not carry out mitosis

The correct answer should be the second option, that is, Onion root tip cells do not undergo anaphase 1.

Anaphase I is a part of meiosis which occurs only in cells involved in reproduction. For example, gametes.

Onion root tip cells undergo mitosis.

The chromosome can be observed using compound microscope.

Thus, all other options are incorrect except second option.

In the body of a multicellular organisms such as onion plant, there are two types of cells, namely somatic cells and reproductive cells. Somatic cells undergo mitosis and involved in vegetative growth whereas reproductive cells undergo meiosis that form gametes during sexual reproduction. Root tip of opinion consists of meristematic cells which are somatic cells which do not divide by meiosis. A fellow student recognises anaphase I in root tip cells is incorrect because anaphase I is a stage of meiosis I. Root tip cells only divide by mitosis. However, during anaphase I, a pair of chromosome separate which cannot be observed during mitosis in root tip cells.