Gametes and Fertilisation Flashcards

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What is a gamete?

A gamete is a sex cell. It joins with another sex cell in fertilisation.

What are the male and female gametes in humans called?

The male gamete in humans is the sperm cell. The female gamete is the egg cell, also called the ovum.

What are the male and female gametes in flowering plants?

In flowering plants the male gametes are in pollen grains. The female gametes are egg cells in the ovules.

Give two ways a human sperm cell is adapted for its job.

A sperm cell has a tail so it can swim to the egg. It has many mitochondria to release energy for swimming.

Give two ways a human egg cell is adapted for its job.

An egg cell is large and has a lot of cytoplasm. This stores food for the embryo. It also has a jelly coat that hardens after fertilisation to stop other sperm entering.

What is fertilisation?

Fertilisation is when a male and a female gamete join. Their nuclei fuse to make one new cell.

What is the cell formed when a sperm and an egg fuse called?

The cell formed is called a zygote. It is a fertilised egg cell.

Why do gametes have half the normal number of chromosomes?

Gametes have half the normal number of chromosomes. This means that after fertilisation the zygote has the normal number.

How does fertilisation in sexual reproduction cause genetic variation in offspring?

Each gamete has a different mix of genes. Which sperm meets which egg is random. This gives each zygote a new mix of genes and so causes variation.

Where does fertilisation usually happen in the human body?

In humans fertilisation usually happens in the oviduct. This tube is also called the fallopian tube.