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Gametes and Zygotes

During sexual reproduction, gamete nuclei fuse to form a zygote. There is an important difference between the nuclei of these types of cell.

Gamete nuclei

Gamete nuclei

  • Gamete nuclei are haploid.
  • This means they contain half the number of chromosomes found in a normal cell.
  • This is because they contain one complete set of chromosomes.
Zygote nuclei

Zygote nuclei

  • Zygote nuclei are diploid.
  • This means they contain two complete sets of chromosomes.
  • This is because they have one set of chromosomes from each parent.
  • In humans, each diploid cell has 23 pairs of chromosomes.
Jump to other topics
1

The Nature & Variety of Living Organisms

2

Structure & Functions in Living Organisms

3

Organism Functions

3.1

Respiration

3.2

Gas Exchange

3.3

Transport

3.4

Excretion

3.5

Coordination & Response

4

Reproduction & Inheritance

5

Ecology

6

Biological Resources

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