Edit page | Page history | Printable version

Definition

noun

A mode of reproduction involving the fusion of female gamete (ovum) and male gamete (spermatozoon), which forms a zygote that potentially develops into genetically distinct offspring.

Supplement

It usually entails processes such as meiosis and fertilization. Meiosis is an important process to generate gametes that are haploid and genetically different (through genetic recombinations) so that during fertilization, the newly formed zygote will contain the original number of chromosomes but with a genome that is different from either parent.

Synonym: syngenesis.
Compare: asexual reproduction, parthenogenesis.
See also: meiosis, fertilization, sex cells.