What term denotes a fertilized egg?

What term denotes a fertilized egg?

• A. Embryo
• B. Gamete
• C. Nondisjunction error
• D. Zygote

Answer: (D)

When a sperm and an egg fuse, the resulting cell is a zygote—the fertilized egg that starts a new organism with a full diploid chromosome set. The zygote immediately begins dividing to form a multicellular embryo, and the term embryo is used for the developing organism after fertilization, once rapid cell divisions and differentiation begin. A gamete, by contrast, is the haploid reproductive cell (sperm or egg) that fuses to make the zygote, not the fertilized egg itself. Nondisjunction refers to an error in chromosome separation during meiosis, leading to abnormal chromosome numbers, and is not the fertilized egg.

When a sperm and an egg fuse, the resulting cell is a zygote—the fertilized egg that starts a new organism with a full diploid chromosome set. The zygote immediately begins dividing to form a multicellular embryo, and the term embryo is used for the developing organism after fertilization, once rapid cell divisions and differentiation begin. A gamete, by contrast, is the haploid reproductive cell (sperm or egg) that fuses to make the zygote, not the fertilized egg itself. Nondisjunction refers to an error in chromosome separation during meiosis, leading to abnormal chromosome numbers, and is not the fertilized egg.