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GCSE Biology · key term
The cell formed when the nuclei of two gametes fuse at fertilisation.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Specification 4.6.1.2 · Paper 2
The cell formed when two gametes join at fertilisation.
Revise: MeiosisAt fertilisation, a male and a female gamete join. Their single sets of chromosomes combine, restoring the full number in the new cell, called a zygote. Half of its chromosomes came from each gamete.
Specification 3.13, 3.15 · Paper 1
A gamete has one copy of each chromosome; a zygote has a pair after fertilisation.
For a complete mechanism, link inheritance to development: a Y-bearing sperm can produce an XY zygote, and genes on the Y chromosome trigger the development of testes.
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When the nuclei of two gametes fuse at fertilisation, they form a zygote. The zygote has a full set of chromosome pairs—46 chromosomes in humans—with one set from each parent. This is how an offspring receives two alleles for a gene, even though each gamete carried only one.
The diploid cell formed at fertilisation when the nuclei of two gametes fuse.
Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher), Paper 4 (Higher)
A cell formed when the nuclei of an egg cell and a sperm cell fuse during fertilisation.
Revise: Sex DeterminationAt fertilisation, an egg and a sperm fuse to form a zygote.