Meiosis - 11 Biology

production of offspring through the union of male and female

gametes

sexual reproduction

egg and sperm cells in animals.

gametes

specialized process of cell division that reduces the number of chromosomes, producing gametes with half the number of chromosomes present in body cell species

meiosis

body cells

somatic cell

nuclei of an egg and sperm cell fuse, producing a cel

fertilization

chromosome number typical of the species is restored.

zygote

In humans and other animals, meiosis takes place in the primary reproductive organs

gonads

male gonads are the

testes

(singular, testicle)

female gonads are the

ovaries

(singular, ovary).

In males, the testes produce the male gamete

spermatozoa (sperm)

In females, the ovaries produce the female gamete

ova (eggs)

in the sperm that is the same length and has the same genes in the same order in the DNA sequence of the chromosome.

homologous chromosome

homolog