Question

a 7. A man may have fertility problems if his sperm count is lower than 15 million sperm per milliliter. Discuss why a man must have so many sperm if only one actually fertilizes the egg.

Answer 1

1. Meiosis is the process in which a diploid cell devides into 4 haploid cells and in mitosis a diploid cell devides into two cells that have same number of chromosomes as paternt cell that is diploid cell but for spermatozoa haploid cells are required as they will have to fuse with another haploid cell i.e. ovum to be a diploid zygote hence spermatozoa is created by meiosis not mitosis.

2.Polar bodies main function is to eliminate one half of the diploid chromosome that is produced by meiotic division in the egg, makes a haploid cell. To produce these bodies the cell must divide asymmetrically, which is fueled by furrowing near a particular point on the cell membrane hence formation of polar body is necessary to produce functional ovum.

7.The reason for this so many sperm ejaculation for fertility is sperm competition.Males have vied with each other to get as many of their own sperm near an egg as many as possible. Getting more of sperm closer to an egg means there is a greater probability that it will be you and not your neighbor fertilizing it.