Compare and contrast the events and results of oogenesis and spermatogenesis

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

In males, the production of sperm, known as spermatogenesis, occurs in the testes. Cells called spermatogonia line the tubules of the testes and divide by mitosis from puberty until death, producing daughter cells called spermatocytes. Spermatocytes undergo meiosis, and the four haploid cells that result are called spermatids. Each spermatid develops into a mature sperm. The tubules within the testes contain many spermatocytes, and large numbers of sperm are always in production.

In females, the production of gametes is called oogenesis and takes place in the ovaries.
Cells in the ovary known as oogonia begin mitosis early in embryonic development and finish a few weeks later. During meiosis I, one cell, destined to become the female gamete, receives about 95% of the cytoplasm and is called a secondary oocyte. The larger cell becomes the functional gamete (the ovum) and the nonfunctional, smaller cells are known as a polar bodies. If the secondary oocyte is fertilized, meiosis II is completed quickly and the haploid nuclei of the ovum and sperm fuse to produce a diploid zygote.