An
allosome (also referred to as a
sex chromosome,
heterotypical chromosome,
heterochromosome, or
idiochromosome) is a
chromosome that differs from an ordinary
autosome in form, size, and behavior. The human sex chromosomes, a typical pair of
mammal allosomes, determine the sex of an individual created in se
xual reproduction. Autosomes differ from allosomes because autosomes appear in pairs whose members have the same form but differ from other pairs in a
diploid cell, whereas members of an allosome pair may differ from one another and thereby determine sex.
