Sperm's Journey + Random Fertilisation

Question 1

what is the sperm’s journey?

Answer 1

1. during sexual intercourse, sperm pass along the sperm duct and are mixed with a fluid from the seminal vesicles
2. this mixture called semen, is ejaculated into the vagina of the female out of the urethra
3. the sperm then begin t swim towards the oviducts (also know as the fallopian tubes)

Question 2

how does random fertilisation occur?

Answer 2

one ovum is released into an oviduct each month fro an ovary, if an ovum is present in the oviducts then it may be fertilised by sperm introduced during intercourse

Question 3

how does random fertilisation produce genetic variation of offspring?

Answer 3

• each male ejaculate will contains millions of sperm cells - each of these cells is genetically different due to the process that has created them
• each female egg cell will also be genetically identical due to how it was created
• which sperm cell fertilises the egg is random
• the ‘randomness’ causes variation in the genetics of the new offspring