[1] Polycentric chromosomes are produced by chromosomal aberrations such as deletion, duplication, or translocation.
[citation needed] Polycentric chromosomes usually result in the death of the cell because polycentric chromosomes may fail to move to opposite poles of spindle fiber during anaphase.
As a result, the chromosome is fragmented, which causes the death of the cell.
In some algae, such as Spirogyra, polycentric chromosomes appear normally.
[2] They also occur in the sedge, Luzula.