1.21.2 Gamete Transfer

 1.21.2 Gamete Transfer

After their formation, male and female gametes must be physically brought together to facilitate fusion (fertilization). Have you ever wondered how the gametes meet? In a majority of organisms, the male gamete is motile and the female gamete is stationary. Exceptions are a few fungi and algae in which both types of gametes are motile (Figure1.7a).

 

 

Figure 1.7 (a) Homogametic contact in alga; (b) Germinating pollen grains on the stigma of a flower