A gamete (/ˈɡæmiːt/; from Ancient Greek γαμετή (gametḗ) 'wife', ultimately from Ancient Greek

γάμος (gámos) 'marriage') is a haploid cell that fuses with another haploid cell during fertilization
in organisms that reproduce sexually.[1] Gametes are an organism's reproductive cells, also referred
to as sex cells.[2] The name gamete was introduced by the German cytologist Eduard Strasburger.
[when?][citation needed]

Gametes of both mating individuals can be the same size and shape, a condition known as isogamy.
By contrast, in the majority of species, the gametes are of different sizes, a condition known as
anisogamy or heterogamy that applies to humans and other mammals. The human ovum has
approximately 100,000 times the volume of a single human sperm cell. The type of gamete an
organism produces determines its sex[3] and sets the basis for the sexual roles and sexual selection.[4]
In humans and other species that produce two morphologically distinct types of gametes, and in
which each individual produces only one type, a female is any individual that produces the larger
type of gamete called an ovum, and a male produces the smaller type, called a sperm cell or
spermatozoon. Sperm cells are small and motile due to the presence of a tail-shaped structure, the
agellum, that provides propulsion. In contrast, each egg cell or ovum is relatively large and non-
motile.[2]

Oogenesis, the process of female gamete formation in animals, involves meiosis (including meiotic
recombination) of a diploid primary oocyte to produce a haploid ovum. Spermatogenesis, the
process of male gamete formation in animals, involves meiosis in a diploid primary spermatocyte to
produce haploid spermatozoa. In animals, ova are produced in the ovaries of females and sperm
develop in the testes of males. During fertilization, a spermatozoon and an ovum, each carrying half
of the genetic information of an individual, unite to form a zygote that develops into a new diploid
organism.[2]

Evolution
Main article: Evolution of sexual reproduction
It is generally accepted that isogamy is the ancestral state from which anisogamy and oogamy
evolved, although its evolution has left no fossil records.[5][6][7] There are almost invariably only two
gamete types, all analyses showing that intermediate gamete sizes are eliminated due to selection.[8]
[9] Since intermediate sized gametes do not have the same advantages as small or large ones,[10] they

do worse than small ones in mobility and numbers, and worse than large ones in supply.[11]

Differences between gametes and somatic cells

In contrast to a gamete, which has only one set of chromosomes, a diploid somatic cell has two sets
of homologous chromosomes, one of which is a copy of the chromosome set from the sperm and
one a copy of the chromosome set from the egg cell. Recombination of the genes during meiosis
ensures that the chromosomes of gametes are not exact duplicates of either of the sets of
chromosomes carried in the parental diploid chromosomes but a mixture of the two.[12]

A human spermatozoon fusing with a human ovum. The spermatozoon is approximately 100,000
times smaller in size than the human ovum.
Sex determination in mammals and birds
Most mammals, including humans, use the XY sex-determination system in which a normal ovum
can carry only an X chromosome whereas a sperm may carry either an X or a Y. Thus the male
fl
 sperm determines the sex of any resulting zygote. If the zygote has two X chromosomes it will
develop into a female. If it has an X and a Y chromosome, it will develop into a male.[13]

For birds, the female ovum determines the sex of the offspring, through the ZW sex-determination
system.[13]

Arti cial gametes

Arti cial gametes, also known as in vitro derived gametes (IVD), stem cell-derived gametes
(SCDGs), and in vitro generated gametes (IVG), are gametes derived from stem cells. The use of
such arti cial gametes would "necessarily require IVF techniques".[14] Research shows that arti cial
gametes may be a reproductive technique for same-sex male couples, although a surrogate mother
would still be required for the gestation period.[14] Women who have passed menopause may be able
to produce eggs and bear genetically related children with arti cial gametes.[14] Robert Sparrow
wrote, in the Journal of Medical Ethics, that embryos derived from arti cial gametes could be used
to derive new gametes and this process could be repeated to create multiple human generations in
the laboratory.[15] This technique could be used to create cell lines for medical applications and for
studying the heredity of genetic disorders.[15] Additionally, this technique could be used for human
enhancement by selectively breeding for a desired genome or by using recombinant DNA
technology to create enhancements that have not arisen in nature.[15]

Plants
Plants that reproduce sexually also produce gametes. However, since plants have a life cycle
involving alternation of diploid and haploid generations some differences from animal life cycles
exist. Plants use meiosis to produce spores that develop into multicellular haploid gametophytes
which produce gametes by mitosis. In animals there is no corresponding multicellular haploid
phase. The sperm of plants that reproduce using spores are formed by mitosis in an organ of the
gametophyte known as the antheridium and the egg cells by mitosis in a ask-shaped organ called
the archegonium.[16] Plant sperm cells are their only motile cells, often described as agellate, but
more correctly as ciliate.[17] Bryophytes have 2 agella, horsetails have up to 200 and the mature
spermatozoa of the cycad Zamia pumila has up to 50,000 agella.[18] Cycads and Ginkgo biloba are
the only gymnosperms with motile sperm.[17] In the owering plants, the female gametophyte is
produced inside the ovule within the ovary of the ower. When mature, the haploid gametophyte
produces female gametes which are ready for fertilization. The male gametophyte is produced
inside a pollen grain within the anther and is non-motile, but can be distributed by wind, water or
animal vectors. When a pollen grain lands on a mature stigma of a ower it germinates to form a
pollen tube that grows down the style into the ovary of the ower and then into the ovule. The
pollen then produces non-motile sperm nuclei by mitosis that are transported down the pollen tube
to the ovule where they are released for fertilization of the egg cell.

See also
• Coenogamete
Notes and references
1.
"gamete | De nition, Formation, Examples, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 20
October 2020.
fi
fi
fi
fi
fl
fl
fl
fl
fl
fi
fl
fi
fl
fl
fi
"gamete / gametes | Learn Science at Scitable". www.nature.com. Retrieved 20 October 2020.

Cotner, Sehoya; Wassenberg, Deena, "8.4 Sex: It's About the Gametes", The Evolution and Biology
of Sex, retrieved 20 October 2020

Fusco, Giuseppe; Minelli, Alessandro (10 October 2019). The Biology of Reproduction. Cambridge
University Press. pp. 111–112. ISBN 978-1-108-49985-9.

Pitnick, Scott S.; Hosken, Dave J.; Birkhead, Tim R. (2008). Sperm Biology: An Evolutionary
Perspective. Academic Press. pp. 43–44. ISBN 978-0-08-091987-4.

Kumar, Awasthi & Ashok. Textbook of Algae. Vikas Publishing House. p. 363.
ISBN 978-93-259-9022-7.

Dusenbery, David B.; Dusenbery, Professor of Biology Emeritus David B. (2009). Living at Micro
Scale: The Unexpected Physics of Being Small. Harvard University Press. p. 309.
ISBN 978-0-674-03116-6.

Stearns, S. C. (21 November 2013). The Evolution of Sex and its Consequences. Birkhäuser. pp. 21,
81–82. ISBN 978-3-0348-6273-8.

Lehtonen J, Parker GA (2014). "Gamete competition, gamete limitation, and the evolution of the
two sexes". Molecular Human Reproduction. 20 (12): 1161–1168. doi:10.1093/molehr/gau068.
PMID 25323972.

Campbell, Anne (16 May 2013). A Mind Of Her Own: The evolutionary psychology of women. OUP
Oxford. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-19-164701-7.

Bachtrog, Doris; Mank, Judith E.; Peichel, Catherine L.; Kirkpatrick, Mark; Otto, Sarah P.;
Ashman, Tia-Lynn; Hahn, Matthew W.; Kitano, Jun; Mayrose, Itay; Ming, Ray; Perrin, Nicolas (1
July 2014). "Sex Determination: Why So Many Ways of Doing It?". PLOS Biology. 12 (7):
e1001899. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001899. ISSN 1545-7885. PMC 4077654. PMID 24983465.
S2CID 3741933.

"Mitosis, Meiosis, and Inheritance | Learn Science at Scitable". www.nature.com. Retrieved 1

March 2021. Consequently, the cells of the offspring have genes potentially capable of expressing
some of the characteristics of both the father and the mother, subject to whether they are dominant
or recessive.

Jay Phelan (30 April 2009). What Is Life?: A Guide to Biology W/Prep-U. Macmillan. p. 237.
ISBN 978-1-4292-2318-8. Retrieved 8 October 2010.

Newson, A J; Smajdor, A C (2005). "Arti cial gametes: new paths to parenthood?". Journal of
Medical Ethics. 31 (3): 184–186. doi:10.1136/jme.2003.004986. PMC 1734101. PMID 15738444.
“Pregnancies brought about by means of arti cial gametes would necessarily require IVF
techniques”

Sparrow, Robert (4 April 2013). "In vitro eugenics". Journal of Medical Ethics. 40 (11): 725–31.
doi:10.1136/medethics-2012-101200. PMID 23557913. S2CID 959092. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
fi
fi
Sporne, K.R. (2022). The morphology of Pteridophytes; the structure of ferns and allied plants.
Legare Street Press. ISBN 978-1015505667.

Wolniak, Stephen M.; Klink, Vincent P.; Hart, Peter E.; Tsai, Chia-Wei (2000). "Control of
development and motility in the spermatozoids of lower plants". Gravitational and Space Biology
Bulletin. 13 (2): 85–93. PMID 11543285.

1. Norstog (1986). "The blepharoplast of Zamia pumila L.". Botanical Gazette. 147 (1): 40–46.
doi:10.1086/337566. S2CID 85257438.

• v
• t
• e
Human physiology of sexual reproduction
Menstrual cycle • Menarche
• Menstruation
• Follicular phase
• Ovulation
• Luteal phase
Gametogenesis • Spermatogenesis
◦ spermatogonium
◦ spermatocyte
◦ spermatid
◦ sperm
• Oogenesis
◦ oogonium
◦ oocyte
◦ ootid
◦ ovum
• Germ cell
◦ gonocyte
◦ gamete
Human sexual activity • Sexual arousal
• Sexual intercourse
• Masturbation
• Erection
◦ Penile
◦ Clitoral
• Orgasm
• Ejaculation
◦ Male
◦ Female
• Insemination
• Fertilization / Fertility
• Implantation
• Pregnancy
• Postpartum period
• Mechanics of sex
• Vaginal lubrication
 Development of the • Sexual differentiation
reproductive system ◦ Sexual dimorphism
◦ Feminization
◦ Virilization
• Puberty
◦ Gonadarche
◦ Tanner scale
◦ Pubarche
◦ Menarche
◦ Spermarche
◦ Adrenarche
• Maternal age / Paternal age
• Menopause
Egg • Ovum
• Oviposition
• Oviparity
• Ovoviviparity
• Vivipary
Reproductive endocrinology • Hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis
and infertility • Hypothalamic–pituitary–prolactin axis
• Andrology
• Hormone
Breast • Thelarche
• Development
• Lactation
• Breastfeeding
Human reproductive system • Male
• Female
Diseases and disorders • Anorgasmia
• Dysorgasmia
• Dyspareunia
• Erectile dysfunction
• Hard accid syndrome
• Premature ejaculation
• Vaginismus

Authority • France
control • BnF data
databases: • Germany
National • Israel
• United States
• Czech Republic
Categories:
• Classical genetics
• Germ cells
• Reproductive system
•
A gamete (/ˈɡæmiːt/; from Ancient Greek γαμετή (gametḗ) 'wife', ultimately from Ancient Greek
γάμος (gámos) 'marriage') is a haploid cell that fuses with another haploid cell during fertilization
in organisms that reproduce sexually.[1] Gametes are an organism's reproductive cells, also referred
fl
 to as sex cells.[2] The name gamete was introduced by the German cytologist Eduard Strasburger.
[when?][citation needed]

Gametes of both mating individuals can be the same size and shape, a condition known as isogamy.
By contrast, in the majority of species, the gametes are of different sizes, a condition known as
anisogamy or heterogamy that applies to humans and other mammals. The human ovum has
approximately 100,000 times the volume of a single human sperm cell. The type of gamete an
organism produces determines its sex[3] and sets the basis for the sexual roles and sexual selection.[4]
In humans and other species that produce two morphologically distinct types of gametes, and in
which each individual produces only one type, a female is any individual that produces the larger
type of gamete called an ovum, and a male produces the smaller type, called a sperm cell or
spermatozoon. Sperm cells are small and motile due to the presence of a tail-shaped structure, the
agellum, that provides propulsion. In contrast, each egg cell or ovum is relatively large and non-
motile.[2]

Oogenesis, the process of female gamete formation in animals, involves meiosis (including meiotic
recombination) of a diploid primary oocyte to produce a haploid ovum. Spermatogenesis, the
process of male gamete formation in animals, involves meiosis in a diploid primary spermatocyte to
produce haploid spermatozoa. In animals, ova are produced in the ovaries of females and sperm
develop in the testes of males. During fertilization, a spermatozoon and an ovum, each carrying half
of the genetic information of an individual, unite to form a zygote that develops into a new diploid
organism.[2]

Evolution
Main article: Evolution of sexual reproduction
It is generally accepted that isogamy is the ancestral state from which anisogamy and oogamy
evolved, although its evolution has left no fossil records.[5][6][7] There are almost invariably only two
gamete types, all analyses showing that intermediate gamete sizes are eliminated due to selection.[8]
[9] Since intermediate sized gametes do not have the same advantages as small or large ones,[10] they

do worse than small ones in mobility and numbers, and worse than large ones in supply.[11]

Differences between gametes and somatic cells

In contrast to a gamete, which has only one set of chromosomes, a diploid somatic cell has two sets
of homologous chromosomes, one of which is a copy of the chromosome set from the sperm and
one a copy of the chromosome set from the egg cell. Recombination of the genes during meiosis
ensures that the chromosomes of gametes are not exact duplicates of either of the sets of
chromosomes carried in the parental diploid chromosomes but a mixture of the two.[12]

A human spermatozoon fusing with a human ovum. The spermatozoon is approximately 100,000
times smaller in size than the human ovum.
Sex determination in mammals and birds
Most mammals, including humans, use the XY sex-determination system in which a normal ovum
can carry only an X chromosome whereas a sperm may carry either an X or a Y. Thus the male
sperm determines the sex of any resulting zygote. If the zygote has two X chromosomes it will
develop into a female. If it has an X and a Y chromosome, it will develop into a male.[13]
fl
 For birds, the female ovum determines the sex of the offspring, through the ZW sex-determination
system.[13]

Arti cial gametes

Arti cial gametes, also known as in vitro derived gametes (IVD), stem cell-derived gametes
(SCDGs), and in vitro generated gametes (IVG), are gametes derived from stem cells. The use of
such arti cial gametes would "necessarily require IVF techniques".[14] Research shows that arti cial
gametes may be a reproductive technique for same-sex male couples, although a surrogate mother
would still be required for the gestation period.[14] Women who have passed menopause may be able
to produce eggs and bear genetically related children with arti cial gametes.[14] Robert Sparrow
wrote, in the Journal of Medical Ethics, that embryos derived from arti cial gametes could be used
to derive new gametes and this process could be repeated to create multiple human generations in
the laboratory.[15] This technique could be used to create cell lines for medical applications and for
studying the heredity of genetic disorders.[15] Additionally, this technique could be used for human
enhancement by selectively breeding for a desired genome or by using recombinant DNA
technology to create enhancements that have not arisen in nature.[15]

Plants
Plants that reproduce sexually also produce gametes. However, since plants have a life cycle
involving alternation of diploid and haploid generations some differences from animal life cycles
exist. Plants use meiosis to produce spores that develop into multicellular haploid gametophytes
which produce gametes by mitosis. In animals there is no corresponding multicellular haploid
phase. The sperm of plants that reproduce using spores are formed by mitosis in an organ of the
gametophyte known as the antheridium and the egg cells by mitosis in a ask-shaped organ called
the archegonium.[16] Plant sperm cells are their only motile cells, often described as agellate, but
more correctly as ciliate.[17] Bryophytes have 2 agella, horsetails have up to 200 and the mature
spermatozoa of the cycad Zamia pumila has up to 50,000 agella.[18] Cycads and Ginkgo biloba are
the only gymnosperms with motile sperm.[17] In the owering plants, the female gametophyte is
produced inside the ovule within the ovary of the ower. When mature, the haploid gametophyte
produces female gametes which are ready for fertilization. The male gametophyte is produced
inside a pollen grain within the anther and is non-motile, but can be distributed by wind, water or
animal vectors. When a pollen grain lands on a mature stigma of a ower it germinates to form a
pollen tube that grows down the style into the ovary of the ower and then into the ovule. The
pollen then produces non-motile sperm nuclei by mitosis that are transported down the pollen tube
to the ovule where they are released for fertilization of the egg cell.

See also
• Coenogamete
Notes and references
1.
"gamete | De nition, Formation, Examples, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 20
October 2020.

"gamete / gametes | Learn Science at Scitable". www.nature.com. Retrieved 20 October 2020.

fi
fi
fi
fi
fl
fl
fl
fl
fl
fi
fl
fi
fl
fl
fi
Cotner, Sehoya; Wassenberg, Deena, "8.4 Sex: It's About the Gametes", The Evolution and Biology
of Sex, retrieved 20 October 2020

Fusco, Giuseppe; Minelli, Alessandro (10 October 2019). The Biology of Reproduction. Cambridge
University Press. pp. 111–112. ISBN 978-1-108-49985-9.

Pitnick, Scott S.; Hosken, Dave J.; Birkhead, Tim R. (2008). Sperm Biology: An Evolutionary
Perspective. Academic Press. pp. 43–44. ISBN 978-0-08-091987-4.

Kumar, Awasthi & Ashok. Textbook of Algae. Vikas Publishing House. p. 363.
ISBN 978-93-259-9022-7.

Dusenbery, David B.; Dusenbery, Professor of Biology Emeritus David B. (2009). Living at Micro
Scale: The Unexpected Physics of Being Small. Harvard University Press. p. 309.
ISBN 978-0-674-03116-6.

Stearns, S. C. (21 November 2013). The Evolution of Sex and its Consequences. Birkhäuser. pp. 21,
81–82. ISBN 978-3-0348-6273-8.

Lehtonen J, Parker GA (2014). "Gamete competition, gamete limitation, and the evolution of the
two sexes". Molecular Human Reproduction. 20 (12): 1161–1168. doi:10.1093/molehr/gau068.
PMID 25323972.

Campbell, Anne (16 May 2013). A Mind Of Her Own: The evolutionary psychology of women. OUP
Oxford. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-19-164701-7.

Bachtrog, Doris; Mank, Judith E.; Peichel, Catherine L.; Kirkpatrick, Mark; Otto, Sarah P.;
Ashman, Tia-Lynn; Hahn, Matthew W.; Kitano, Jun; Mayrose, Itay; Ming, Ray; Perrin, Nicolas (1
July 2014). "Sex Determination: Why So Many Ways of Doing It?". PLOS Biology. 12 (7):
e1001899. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001899. ISSN 1545-7885. PMC 4077654. PMID 24983465.
S2CID 3741933.

"Mitosis, Meiosis, and Inheritance | Learn Science at Scitable". www.nature.com. Retrieved 1

March 2021. Consequently, the cells of the offspring have genes potentially capable of expressing
some of the characteristics of both the father and the mother, subject to whether they are dominant
or recessive.

Jay Phelan (30 April 2009). What Is Life?: A Guide to Biology W/Prep-U. Macmillan. p. 237.
ISBN 978-1-4292-2318-8. Retrieved 8 October 2010.

Newson, A J; Smajdor, A C (2005). "Arti cial gametes: new paths to parenthood?". Journal of
Medical Ethics. 31 (3): 184–186. doi:10.1136/jme.2003.004986. PMC 1734101. PMID 15738444.
“Pregnancies brought about by means of arti cial gametes would necessarily require IVF
techniques”

Sparrow, Robert (4 April 2013). "In vitro eugenics". Journal of Medical Ethics. 40 (11): 725–31.
doi:10.1136/medethics-2012-101200. PMID 23557913. S2CID 959092. Retrieved 8 March 2015.

Sporne, K.R. (2022). The morphology of Pteridophytes; the structure of ferns and allied plants.
Legare Street Press. ISBN 978-1015505667.
fi
fi
Wolniak, Stephen M.; Klink, Vincent P.; Hart, Peter E.; Tsai, Chia-Wei (2000). "Control of
development and motility in the spermatozoids of lower plants". Gravitational and Space Biology
Bulletin. 13 (2): 85–93. PMID 11543285.

1. Norstog (1986). "The blepharoplast of Zamia pumila L.". Botanical Gazette. 147 (1): 40–46.
doi:10.1086/337566. S2CID 85257438.

• v
• t
• e
Human physiology of sexual reproduction
Menstrual cycle • Menarche
• Menstruation
• Follicular phase
• Ovulation
• Luteal phase
Gametogenesis • Spermatogenesis
◦ spermatogonium
◦ spermatocyte
◦ spermatid
◦ sperm
• Oogenesis
◦ oogonium
◦ oocyte
◦ ootid
◦ ovum
• Germ cell
◦ gonocyte
◦ gamete
Human sexual activity • Sexual arousal
• Sexual intercourse
• Masturbation
• Erection
◦ Penile
◦ Clitoral
• Orgasm
• Ejaculation
◦ Male
◦ Female
• Insemination
• Fertilization / Fertility
• Implantation
• Pregnancy
• Postpartum period
• Mechanics of sex
• Vaginal lubrication
 Development of the • Sexual differentiation
reproductive system ◦ Sexual dimorphism
◦ Feminization
◦ Virilization
• Puberty
◦ Gonadarche
◦ Tanner scale
◦ Pubarche
◦ Menarche
◦ Spermarche
◦ Adrenarche
• Maternal age / Paternal age
• Menopause
Egg • Ovum
• Oviposition
• Oviparity
• Ovoviviparity
• Vivipary
Reproductive endocrinology • Hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis
and infertility • Hypothalamic–pituitary–prolactin axis
• Andrology
• Hormone
Breast • Thelarche
• Development
• Lactation
• Breastfeeding
Human reproductive system • Male
• Female
Diseases and disorders • Anorgasmia
• Dysorgasmia
• Dyspareunia
• Erectile dysfunction
• Hard accid syndrome
• Premature ejaculation
• Vaginismus

Authority • France
control • BnF data
databases: • Germany
National • Israel
• United States
• Czech Republic
Categories:
• Classical genetics
• Germ cells
• Reproductive system
•
•
fl