Mammalian Development: Fertilization
I- Fertilization Fertilization accomplishes two objectives: 1. sex and 2. reproduction. Sex is accomplished when genes from two parents are combined. Reproduction is accomplished when there is successful generation of a new organism. A. Sex 1. Contact and recognition between sperm and egg Mammalian sperm and egg interaction takes place inside the female reproductive tract. Fertilization takes place at the ampulla . For fertilization to happen, the sperm has to get to the ampulla. This is accomplished by means of translocation and capacitation. a. Translocation For sperm to travel from the vagina to the oviduct, it is assisted by several processes. These processes are sperm motility, uterine muscle contraction, and sperm rheotaxis. Sperm motility is accomplished by flagellar action. The flagellar action of the sperm alone, however, cannot transport it to the site of the egg at they right time. Translocation of sperm is further assisted by uterine muscle con...