Fertilization occurs when a sperm and an oocyte (egg) combine and their nuclei fuse. This new single cell, called a zygote , contains all of the genetic material needed to form a human—half from each biological parent

Because each of these reproductive cells is a haploid cell containing half of the genetic material needed to form a human being, their combination forms a diploid cell. During ejaculation, hundreds of millions of sperm (spermatozoa) are released into the vagina.

zygote — fertilized egg; a diploid cell resulting from the fertilization of haploid gametes from the male and female lines. fertilization — unification of genetic material from male and female haploid gametes. acrosome — cap-like vesicle located at the anterior-most region of a sperm that is rich with lysosomal enzymes capable of digesting the protective layers surrounding the oocyte. blastocyst — term for the conceptus at the developmental stage that consists of about 100 cells shaped into an inner cell mass that is fated to become the embryo and an outer trophoblast that….

Be able to describe the obstacles that sperm must overcome to reach an oocyte; explain capacitation and its importance in fertilization; summarize the events that occur as a sperm fertilizes an oocyte.