Questions and Answers
What is the primary function of the sperm cell?
What is the purpose of the mitochondria in the sperm cell?
What is the acrosome responsible for in the fertilization process?
What is the function of the flagellum in the sperm cell?
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How many mitochondria are typically found in a sperm cell?
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What is the purpose of the nuclear envelope in the sperm cell?
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What is the function of the middle section of the sperm cell?
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What is the purpose of the pointed head of the sperm cell?
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What is the function of the mitochondria in the middle section of the sperm cell?
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What is the main difference in shape between the sperm cell and the egg cell?
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What is the function of the zona pellucida?
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How many mitochondria are present in the egg cell?
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What is the first step in the fertilization process?
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What is the function of the acrosomal reaction during fertilization?
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What is the ratio of the mass of the egg cell to the mass of the sperm cell?
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What is the function of the head of the sperm cell?
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What is the structure that the sperm cell uses to penetrate the zona pellucida?
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What is the final step in the fertilization process?
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What is the primary function of the cortical granules in the egg cell?
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What is the term for the process by which a single sperm cell fertilizes an egg cell?
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What is the purpose of the acrosomal reaction during fertilization?
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What is the result of polyspermy?
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What is the function of the mitochondria in the sperm cell?
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What is the specialized layer on the outside of the egg cell?
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What is the result of the cortical reaction?
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What is the function of the tail of the sperm cell?
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What is the primary function of the head of the sperm cell?
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What is the fate of the mitochondria from the sperm cell during fertilization?
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Study Notes
Sperm Cell
- The sperm cell is the male sex cell, designed to transfer genetic material to the female sex cell or egg.
- The sperm cell has a pointed head, middle section, and a tail (flagellum) that acts like a propeller.
- The middle section contains 75-100 mitochondria, responsible for providing energy for the sperm's journey.
- The sperm cell's payload is the genetic material (DNA within the nucleus) in the head, with an acrosome (warhead) that will help fertilization.
Egg Cell
- The egg cell is the female sex cell, much larger than the sperm cell, and not designed for active mobility.
- The egg cell has a thick outer coating called the zona pellucida, made of glycoproteins that sit on the outside of the cell.
- The egg cell has a large number of mitochondria (100,000-200,000) in its cytoplasm, providing energy for the cell.
- The egg cell's genetic material is also contained within the nucleus.
Fertilization
- Fertilization occurs when the sperm binds to the zona pellucida, triggering the acrosome reaction, which releases enzymes that digest the zona pellucida.
- The sperm then binds to the egg cell's plasma membrane, causing the cortical reaction, which releases enzymes that prevent multiple sperm from binding.
- The sperm's genetic material is then transferred into the egg cell, resulting in fertilization.
Key Features and Concepts
- Polyspermy: the term for multiple sperm injecting genetic material into the egg, which can result in problems during cell division.
- Block to polyspermy: the mechanism that prevents multiple sperm from binding to the egg cell, ensuring only one sperm contributes genetic material.
- Mitochondrial DNA: sperm mitochondria have genetic material, but the male contributes essentially no mitochondria to the zygote due to the larger number of mitochondria in the egg cell.
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Description
Learn about the structure and function of sperm cells, the male sex cells responsible for transferring genetic material to the egg cell during sexual reproduction.