Biology 30 Genetics Practice Test

Sexual reproduction relies on specialized reproductive cells called gametes, which carry half the usual number of chromosomes. These haploid cells—sperm in males and eggs in females—are produced by meiosis to ensure that when two gametes unite during fertilization, the resulting zygote has a full diploid set of chromosomes. The zygote is the fertilized cell that starts the development of a new organism, which then grows into an embryo. Somatic cells are body cells that divide by mitosis and do not participate in forming the next generation via fertilization. So the specialized cell involved in sexual reproduction is the gamete.