The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
In animals, a zygote is a fertilized egg, formed by the fusion of s male gamete (or sperm) and a female gamete (or egg). Male and female gametes (collectively, these are referred to as sex cells) are the unicellular products of meiosis, a kind of reduction cellular division that occurs in specialized organs of sexually reproducing animals (the ovary of females, and the testes of males). Meiosis results in the formation of cells having only one of the two complementary (or homologous) sets of chromosomes possessed by animals (that is, gametes are haploid cells). However, the zygote formed from their union has two sets of chromosomes (i.e., it is diploid). Because one of the sets of chromosomes has been obtained each parent, the genetic information (or genome) of the offspring represents a unique combination of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid, the genetic biochemical of animals). Zygotes are capable of developing into adult animals.
In plants, the product of meiosis is not gametes. Rather, this reduction division produces multicellular, haploid organisms, which then go on to produce haploid sex cells (or true gametes). The male plant gamete is known as pollen, and the female as an ovule. Fertilized ovules are diploid, and represent a unique genome, having obtained one of its two sets of chromosomes from each of its parents. Fertilized ovules develop into seeds, which are capable of germinating and growing in to an adult plant.