Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun biology A form of
anisogamy (heterogamy ) in which the femalegamete (e.g. egg cell) is significantly larger than the male gamete (sperm) and is non-motile.
Etymologies
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Examples
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From isogamy where both “egg” and “sperm” are one and the same, to anisogamy where the egg hecomes the larger and the sperm the smaller one to oogamy where the sperm is now flagellated and fertilizes an egg with no flagella.
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Many species exhibit oogamy, a type of anosogamy in which a flagellated sperm fertilizes a nonmotile egg.
avivamagnolia commented on the word oogamy
~ Also spelled oögamy
~ Reproduction in which a small motile male sex cell fuses with a large immobile female sex cell, as happens (for example) when a sperm fuses with an egg
~ o·og·a·mous adjective
January 18, 2009