Meiosis (or Gametogenesis) in Male & Female Sex Cells

 

 

Meiotic Cell Division of
Male and Female Gametes
The female line reduces to
one enlarged haploid cell
as other haploids die off.
The male line reduces to
an equal number of haploid cells.

 

 

 

COMPARING FEMALE and MALE MEIOSIS (GAMETOGENESIS).
Cell division of female and male gametes and their successive cell divisions.

Meiosis is a word that comes from the Greek word, “meioun“, which means to lessen. Biologically, meiosis, also called gametogenesis, is the process of reducing cells to half their chromosomal size: for humans this means cutting their chromosal humber down from 46 to 23. A cell which has had its chromosome number reduced to half is called a “haploid” cell. The purpose of meiosis is to prepare a cell that will be capable of sexual reproduction: able to combine with another haploid cell to make a new organism.

Below is a comparison of the steps involved in female and male meiosis (or gametogenesis). Note the important difference. Female gamete development produces a single primary oocyte as the final product from the four original primary oocytes. Male gamete development produces four spermatazoa from the original primary spermatazoa.

 

 

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March 3, 2018