Egg cell

Egg cell
A human egg cell with surrounding corona radiata
Details
Identifiers
Latinovum
Greekωάριο (oário)
MeSHD010063
FMA67343
Anatomical terms of microanatomy
Human egg cell

The egg cell or ovum (pl.: ova) is the female reproductive cell, or gamete,[1] in most anisogamous organisms (organisms that reproduce sexually with a larger, female gamete and a smaller, male one). The term is used when the female gamete is not capable of movement (non-motile). If the male gamete (sperm) is capable of movement, the type of sexual reproduction is also classified as oogamous. A nonmotile female gamete formed in the oogonium of some algae, fungi, oomycetes, or bryophytes is an oosphere.[2] When fertilized, the oosphere becomes the oospore.[clarification needed]

When egg and sperm fuse during fertilisation, a diploid cell (the zygote) is formed, which rapidly grows into a new organism.

  1. ^ "Ovum". Biology Dictionary. BiologyOnline. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Oosphere Meaning". YourDictionary. Retrieved 12 April 2021.