"What Functions Do Sperm Serve?"

Types and Functions of Sperm

There are two primary categories of sperm: animal sperm and plant sperm. In everyday contexts, the term "sperm" predominantly refers to mature male reproductive cells that originate in the testes. The fundamental purpose of male sperm is to unite with an egg, initiating the fertilization process and ultimately leading to the development of a fetus.

Male sperm can be further classified into two types: X sperm and Y sperm. The X sperm fuses with an egg to form a female fetus, whereas the Y sperm combines with an egg to develop into a male fetus.

Animal Sperm

Animal sperm refers to the male cells involved in sexual reproduction among animals. These are the male reproductive cells, male gametes in anisogamous reproduction, and haploid reproductive cells produced by spermatangia. In common parlance, sperm often signifies the mature male reproductive cells formed within the testes. Semen, an organic substance, comprises fructose, proteins, enzymes, inorganic salts, and organic salts.

Plant Sperm

The morphology of sperm varies significantly across plant species, including biflagellate sperm, multiflagellate sperm, and aflagellate sperm. Primitive terrestrial plants, such as bryophytes, and lower vascular plants like lycopodium and selaginella, typically possess biflagellate mobile sperm. In contrast, gymnosperms like water韭, equisetum, true ferns, cycads, and ginkgo exhibit multiflagellate mobile sperm.

Human Male Semen

Human male semen is a composite of sperm and seminal fluid. The sperm are produced by the testicles, whereas the seminal fluid is secreted by the prostate, seminal vesicles, and bulbourethral glands. Semen is an organic mixture, with the seminal fluid containing fructose and proteins that serve as nutrients for sperm. Additionally, it contains prostaglandins and certain enzymes.