Question

Are the four sperm that result from a single primary spermatocyte identical?

Answer 1

Meiosis

1. Also called reductional division is a type of cell division where the genetic content of the daughter cells is halved.
2. It occurs in two phases of cell division producing four haploid (n) cells.
3. Meiosis occurs to produce gametes for sexual reproduction.
4. This division causes variation resulting in non-identical copies of the parent.

Spermatogenesis

1. The process of formation of sperm cells from precursor male germ cells also called spermatocytes is called spermatogenesis.
2. It involves meiotic division that gives rise to four haploid sperms.
3. The four sperm that is formed by the primary spermatocyte are not genetically identical to each other.
4. The diploid (2n) primary spermatocyte undergoes meiotic division to produce two diploid daughter cells.
5. During the first phase of meiotic division, the chromosomes exchange their genetic materials with each other and so the two diploid daughter cells that are formed are not genetically identical to each other nor to their parents.
6. These diploid daughter cells then undergo the second phase of meiotic division and the chromosomes are equally distributed among the newly formed four haploid daughter cells.
7. This results in two sperms having an X chromosome and two sperms having a Y chromosome and none of these sperms is identical to the parent nor to each other.