Question

What happens to the mitochondria of the sperm post-fertilization?

Answer 1

Sperm:

1. A sperm is the mature male gamete that fertilises an egg and leads to the formation of a zygote.
2. During fertilization, the sperm fuses with an ovum by coming in contact with the zona pellucida layer of the ovum through the acrosomal secretions by the sperm.
3. After the entry of sperm into the ovum, the nuclear envelope of sperm scatters, and chromatin gets loosened from its compact form is termed decondensation.
4. After fertilization, the mitochondria and other components of the sperms degrade but the haploid number of chromosomes present in the sperm fuses with haploid chromosomes of the ovum.