What is the Difference Between Male and Female Gametogenesis

The main difference between male and female gametogenesis is that in animals, male gametogenesis or spermatogenesis is responsible for the production of sperm cells from the male germ cells called spermatogonia, whereas female gametogenesis or oogenesis is responsible for the production of egg cells from female germ cell called oogonia.

Male and female gametogenesis are the two types of reproduction divisions in animals responsible for the production of gametes. Male gametogenesis occurs inside the testis of males while female gametogenesis occurs inside the ovary of females. In plants, male gametogenesis occurs in antheridia while female gametogenesis occurs in archegonia.  

Key Areas Covered 

1. What is Male Gametogenesis
     – Definition, Process, Importance
2. What is Female Gametogenesis
     – Definition, Process, Importance
3. What are the Similarities Between Male and Female Gametogenesis
     – Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Male and Female Gametogenesis
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms 

Female Gametogenesis, Male Gametogenesis, Ovary, Reproduction Divisions, Testis

What is Male Gametogenesis 

Male gametogenesis is the process of producing male gametes or sperm cells to be used in the sexual reproduction of organisms. Generally, in animals, this process is known as spermatogenesis.  Spermatogonia are the precursor cells that give rise to sperm cells, and they occur in the testis of males. Moreover, they are diploid and give rise to four haploid sperm cells by undergoing meiosis.

Figure 1: Spermatogenesis

Furthermore, in primitive plants, fungi, and algae, haploid structures known as gametangia produce gametes. Generally, gametangia are multicellular structures that differentiate into either male or female organs. Here, male organs are known as antheridia. However, in angiosperms, male gametogenesis occurs inside the pollen tube in many species. Moreover, a few species undergo male gametogenesis inside the pollen grain. Here, the generative cells inside the pollen grain give rise to two sperm nuclei.  

What is Female Gametogenesis 

Female gametogenesis is the process of producing female gametes or egg cells that fuse with the male gametes during fertilization. In animals, this process is known as oogenesis. Oogonia are the precursor cells that give rise to egg cells. They occur in the ovary of females. Same as the precursor cells of the male gametogenesis, oogonia are diploid cells. However, an oogonium gives rise to a single egg cell and four polar cells by undergoing meiosis.

Figure 2: Oogenesis

Moreover, archegonia are the type of female gametangia of primitive plants, fungi, and algae that undergo female gametogenesis. However, in angiosperms, female gametogenesis occurs inside the embryo sac of the ovule. Here, one or several ovules occur inside the ovary of a flower. Generally, the flower is the reproductive organ of angiosperms, bearing both pistils, the female reproductive organs, and stamens, the male reproductive organs. Ovary, style, and stigma are the three parts of the pistil and anthers and filaments are the two parts of the stamen. Anthers contain pollen sacs, which produce pollen grains.  

Similarities Between Male and Female Gametogenesis 

• Male and female gametogenesis are the two types of reproductive divisions occurring in animals. 
• They are responsible for the production of gametes.  
• Furthermore, both occur in sex organs.  
• They occur before fertilization.  
• Moreover, meiosis and mitosis occur during both types of gametogenesis.  

Difference Between Male and Female Gametogenesis 

Definition 

Male gametogenesis refers to the production and development of male gametes or sperm cells, while female gametogenesis refers to the production and development of female gametes or egg cells. Thus, this is the main difference between male and female gametogenesis.

Size of the Gametes 

Moreover, male gametogenesis produces small cells, while female gametogenesis produces large cells. 

Motility 

Also, another difference between male and female gametogenesis is that the male gametogenesis generally produces motile cells, while female gametogenesis produces non-motile cells. 

Food Reservation 

Besides, the sperm cells produced by the male gametogenesis has reserved food while the egg cells produced by the female gametogenesis do not have reserved food.  

In Animals 

In animals, the male gametogenesis is known as spermatogenesis, while the female gametogenesis is known as oogenesis. 

Occurrence in Animals 

While male gametogenesis occurs in testis, female gametogenesis occurs in the ovary. Hence, this is another important difference between male and female gametogenesis.

Precursor Cells in Animals 

Spermatogonia are the precursor cells of male gametogenesis, while oogonia are the precursor cells of female gametogenesis.  

Continuity 

Male gametogenesis is a continuous process in animals, while female gametogenesis is not a continuous process. 

Growth Phase 

While male gametogenesis has a short growth phase in animals, female gametogenesis has a long growth phase in animals.

Number of Gametes Produced 

Furthermore, male gametogenesis results in four sperm cells per precursor cell while female gametogenesis results in one ovum per precursor cell. 

Nuclear Condensation 

The sperm cells nucleus undergoes nuclear condensation while the egg cell nucleus does not undergo condensation. 

Occurrence in Plants 

One other difference between male and female gametogenesis is that the male gametogenesis occurs in antheridia of plants while the female gametogenesis occurs in archegonia. 

Production of Gametes 

The production of gametes in male gametogenesis occurs inside the pollen tube while the production of gametes in female gametogenesis occurs inside the embryo sac of the ovule. 

Number of Gametes Produced 

Moreover, male gametogenesis produces two sperm cells, while female gametogenesis produces a single egg cell. 

Conclusion 

Male gametogenesis is the process of producing male gametes or sperm cells required for sexual reproduction. Moreover, it occurs in the testis in animals, and this process is known as spermatogenesis. Spermatogonium, which is the precursor cell of spermatogenesis, gives rise to four sperm cells. On the other hand, female gametogenesis is the process of producing female gametes or egg cells, and it is known as oogenesis in animals. Oogonium, which is the precursor cell of the process, gives rise to a single ovum and four polar bodies. However, in plants, male gametogenesis occurs in the antheridia while female gametogenesis occurs in archegonia. Therefore, the main difference between male and female gametogenesis is the process and their occurrence. 

References:

1. Wilkin, Douglas, and Jean Brainard. “Gametogenesis.” CK, CK-12 Foundation, 6 Aug. 2018, Available Here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Figure 28 01 04” By OpenStax College – Anatomy & Physiology, Connexions Web site. (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia   
2. “Gray5” By Henry Vandyke Carter (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia