Question
Question: How many sets of an organism's chromosomes are contained within a gamete?...
How many sets of an organism's chromosomes are contained within a gamete?
Solution
Gametes are the reproductive cells of an organism. They're referred to as sex cells as well. Female gametes are called egg or ova cells, and sperm is the name of male gametes.
Complete answer:
Gametes are haploid cells, and only one copy of each chromosome is borne by each cell. Via a form of cell division called meiosis, these reproductive cells are formed. A diploid parent cell, which has two copies of each chromosome, undergoes one round of DNA replication during meiosis, followed by two distinct nuclear division cycles to create four haploid cells. They grow into sperm or ova from these cells. In the ovaries of females, the ova matures, and the sperm forms in the male testes. Every sperm cell is tiny and motile, or spermatozoon. There is a flagellum in the spermatozoon, which is a tail-shaped structure which allows the cell to propel and travel. Each egg cell, or ovum, by comparison, is comparatively large and non-motile. A spermatozoon and an ovum join through fertilization to form a new diploid organism.
In terms of sexual reproduction, two parents are expected. In order to form a zygote, the nuclei of the male and female gametes are fused during this process. Fertilisation is known as this process. Gametes produce half the number of chromosomes in the body of all other cells. This indicates that they are haploids. They produce an embryo with the full complement of chromosomes as the male and female gametes join in fertilisation (diploid). There are two sets of chromosomes in diploid cells - like most species, this means that the cells have one set of chromosomes from their mother and one set from their parents.
Note: The term haploid may also refer to the number of chromosomes, which are also called gametes, in egg or sperm cells. Gametes are haploid cells in humans that contain 23 chromosomes, each of which is one of a pair of chromosomes that is found in diploid cells.