3.2: Understand that Fertilisation Involves the Fusion of a Male and Female Gamete to Produce a Zygote that Undergoes Cell Division and Develops into an Embryo

FERTILISATION: Fusion of haploid gamete to produce diploid zygote that undergoes Mitosis to develop into an Embryo

FERTILISATION

Diagram showing the Process of Fertilisation

EXPLANATION: An Egg Cell and Sperm Cell are haploid gametes, containing 23 chromosomes (half of the 46 chromosomes in a Zygote) Due to this, reproducing requires the fusion of two haploid gametes via fertilisation to form a diploid Zygote containing 46 chromosomes (half from each parent) As diploid Zygote carries a mixture of genetic information from both parents, Zygote will undergo Mitosis to develop into an embryo exhibiting genetic variation