a.
The Y chromosomes would have the greatest number of mutations in a population. A person inherits Y chromosome from his father. The cell division that produces male gametes occurs throughout a male’s life. With each round of cell division, more point mutations accumulate in these gametes. As a result, after several generations, a larger number of new point mutations accrue in Y chromosome.
b.
The X chromosome would be expected to contain least number of new mutations. X chromosomes are inherited by a person from the female parent. A woman possesses a set of precursor cells for egg by the time she is born. After birth, maturation of these precursor cells requires only one round of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) replication. As a result, very few point mutations appear in the X chromosome.
c.
No. Mutations are random events. Mutation frequency can be calculated, but number of mutations in a gene on autosomes with respect to those in X and Y chromosomes cannot be calculated. Moreover, the length of sequences varies from gene to gene, and the density of genes varies among the chromosomes. Hence, the number of mutations in sex chromosomes with respect to autosomes cannot be calculated.