Enplain female body and fertilization for class 8
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Answer:
The first step in the process of reproduction is the fusion of a sperm and an ovum. When sperms come in contact with an egg, one of the sperms may fuse with the egg. Such fusion of the egg and the sperm is called fertilization. During fertilization, the nuclei of the sperm and the egg fuse to form a single nucleus. This results in the formation of a fertilized egg or zygote.The zygote is the beginning of a new individual.
The process of fertilization is the meeting of an egg cell from the mother and a sperm cell from the father. So, the new individual inherits some characteristics from the mother and some from the father. Look at your brother or sister. See if you can recognise some characters in them similar to those of your mother or your father.
Fertilization which takes place inside the female body is called internal fertilization. Internal fertilization occurs in many animals including humans, cows, dogs and hens. In many animals fertilization takes place outside the body of the female. In these animals, fertilization takes place in water. Let us find out how this happens.
During spring or rainy season, frogs and toads move to ponds and slowflowing streams. When the male and female come together in water, the female lays hundreds of eggs. Unlike hen’s egg, frog’s egg is not covered by a shell and it is comparatively very delicate. A layer of jelly holds the eggs together and provides protection to the eggs. As the eggs are laid, the male deposits sperms over them. Each sperm swims randomly in water with the help of its long tail. The sperms come in contact with the eggs. This results in fertilization. This type of fertilization in which the fusion of a male and a female gamete takes place outside the body of the female is called external fertilization. It is very common in aquatic animals such as fish, starfish,etc.