Which of the following describes an example of fertilization in higher organisms?
Answer Details
The correct answer is: "Fusion of sperm and egg nuclei"
Fertilization is the process in which a male gamete (sperm) combines with a female gamete (egg or ovum) to form a zygote, which is the first cell of the new organism. In higher organisms, including humans, fertilization occurs when a sperm cell penetrates the outer membrane of the egg cell and fuses with the egg's nucleus, resulting in the fusion of genetic material from both the sperm and the egg.
The other options listed are not examples of fertilization.
- Pollen grain landing on a sticky stigma is a process called pollination, which occurs in plants. Pollen grains contain male gametes, but pollination is not the same as fertilization, as the male and female gametes do not actually combine until after the pollen tube grows down into the ovule and the sperm cells are released to fuse with the egg.
- Ejaculation of the egg and pollen grain is not a biological process that occurs in any known organism.
- Ejaculation of sperm into the female body is the first step in the process of fertilization, but it is not fertilization itself. The sperm must still reach and penetrate the egg to complete the process of fertilization.