Fertilisation

Sperm and ovum fusing

Fertilisation or fertilization (see spelling differences), also known as generative fertilisation, syngamy and impregnation,[1] is the fusion of gametes to give rise to a zygote and initiate its development into a new individual organism or offspring.[2] While processes such as insemination or pollination, which happen before the fusion of gametes, are also sometimes informally referred to as fertilisation,[3] these are technically separate processes. The cycle of fertilisation and development of new individuals is called sexual reproduction. During double fertilisation in angiosperms, the haploid male gamete combines with two haploid polar nuclei to form a triploid primary endosperm nucleus by the process of vegetative fertilisation.

  1. ^ "impregnation". Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
  2. ^ Siu, Karen K.; Serrão, Vitor Hugo B.; Ziyyat, Ahmed; Lee, Jeffrey E. (2021). "The cell biology of fertilization: Gamete attachment and fusion". Journal of Cell Biology. 220 (10). doi:10.1083/jcb.202102146. PMC 8406655. PMID 34459848. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  3. ^ "Fertilization". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved July 10, 2018.