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Concept
Anisogamy
Summary
Anisogamy is a form of sexual reproduction that involves the union or fusion of two gametes that differ in size and/or form. The smaller gamete is male, a sperm cell, whereas the larger gamete is female, typically an egg cell. Anisogamy is predominant among multicellular organisms. In both plants and animals gamete size difference is the fundamental difference between females and males.
Anisogamy most likely evolved from isogamy. Since the biological definition of male and female is based on gamete size, the evolution of anisogamy is viewed as the evolutionary origin of male and female sexes. Anisogamy is an outcome of
both natural selection and sexual selection, and led the sexes to different primary and secondary sex characteristics including sex differences in behavior.
Geoff Parker, Robin Baker, and Vic Smith were the first to provide a mathematical model for the evolution of anisogamy that was consistent with modern evolutionary theory. Their theory was widely accepted but there are alternative hypotheses about the evolution of anisogamy.
Anisogamy comes from the ancient Greek words 'aniso' meaning unequal and 'gamy' meaning marriage. The first known use of the term anisogamy was in the year 1891.
Anisogamy is the form of sexual reproduction that involves the union or fusion of two gametes which differ in size and/or form. The smaller gamete is considered to be male (a sperm cell), whereas the larger gamete is regarded as female (typically an egg cell, if non-motile).
There are several types of anisogamy. Both gametes may be flagellated and therefore motile. Alternatively, as in flowering plants, conifers and gnetophytes, neither of the gametes are flagellated. In these groups, the male gametes are non-motile cells within pollen grains, and are delivered to the egg cells by means of pollen tubes. In the red alga Polysiphonia, non-motile eggs are fertilized by non-motile sperm.
The form of anisogamy that occurs in animals, including humans, is oogamy, where a large, non-motile egg (ovum) is fertilized by a small, motile sperm (spermatozoon).
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