AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -A zygote, also known as a fertilized ovum or fertilized egg, is the union of a sperm cell and an egg cell. The zygote begins as a single cell but divides rapidly in the days following fertilization. The zygote’s single cell contains all of the 46 necessary chromosomes, getting 23 from the sperm and 23 from the egg.

Detailed explanation-2: -The male gamete, or sperm, and the female gamete, the egg or ovum, meet in the female’s reproductive system. When sperm fertilizes (meets) an egg, this fertilized egg is called a zygote (ZYE-goat). The zygote goes through a process of becoming an embryo and developing into a fetus.

Detailed explanation-3: -Due to the presence of both of its parents’ genes, the zygote is diploid (carrying two sets of chromosomes). All organisms, except bacteria, reproduce sexually, and a common characteristic of this process is the combining of haploid gametes to create a diploid zygote.