4.

3 THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF

ZYGOTE IN HUMANS
FERTILISATION
Millions of sperm are ejaculated
into the vagina during sexual
intercourse.
The sperms swim up pass the
cervix into the uterus towards the
fallopian tubes.
Once a sperm penetrates the
ovum, it discards its tail, and its
nucleus moves towards the
nucleus of the ovum, fertilisation
occurs.
Fertilisation is the fusion of the
sperm nucleus with the ovum
nucleus to produce a zygote. It
occurs in the Fallopian tube.

DEVELOPMENT OF ZYGOTE
The development of the zygote begin
after two days,
the zygote divides several times by
mitosis to form a solid mass of cells
called the morula followed by a
blastocyst which is a fluid filled sphere
with hundred of cells around it
One end of the blastocyst is made up
of mass of cells which continue to
develop into the embryo,
while the remaining cells surrounding
the fluid become trophoblast which
later develop into placenta.
Once the blastocyst reaches the uterus,
impantation occurs.
Implantation is the attaching of the blastula
onto the endometrium of the uterus.

Pregnancy begins at
implantation. Menstrual
does not occur & the female
is said to be pregnant.
The embryo becomes the
foetus after eight weeks
The foetus is enclosed in an
amniotic sac filled with
amniotic fluid to protect
fluid to protect it from any
physical shock.
TWINS
There are three kinds of twins:
Identical twins
Fraternal twins
Siamese twins
FORMATION OF IDENTICAL TWINS FORMATION OF FRATERNAL
TWINS
IDENTICAL TWINS FRATERNAL TWINS
Formed when sperm fertilises an
ovum to produce a zygote.
The zygote formed divides into two
zygotes which develop into two
foetuses in the uterus
Formed when two ova are released at
the same time, and are fertilised by
two different sperms.
The featouses are identical as they
were from the same zygote
The foetuses are not identical as they
are formed from different sperms &
ova
The two foetuses share the same
placenta but have their own umbilical
cord.
The two foetuses do not share the
same placenta. They have their own
placenta & their own umbilical cords.
They are genetically identical.
Therefore they are always the same
sex.
They genetically not identical.
Therefore they can be of the same or
different sex.
Siamese twins
formed when
the mitotic
division that
occurs during
the formation
of identical
twins is
incomplete.
As a result the
twins are
joined at the
parts of the
body where the
incomplete
division occurs.
PLACENTA
During foetal development, the foetus
depends on the mother for food &
oxygen, and to get rid its wastes
products.
The placenta helps in the exchange of
substances between the foetus & the
mother.
The foetus is connected to the
placenta by umbilical cord.
Placenta arises from the chorion (trophoblast at
embryo stage) which extends out fingerlike
projections called villi, into the endometrium to
make contact with the uterine blood.
The finger-like villi help too increase the surface
area for the exchange of nutrients.
The membrane of the chorionic villi separates the
foetal blood from the mothers blood.
Diffusion of nutrients occur across the membrane
of the chorion
The umbilical arteries carry deoxygenated
blood, carbon dioxide & waste products from
the foetus to the placenta,
While the umbilical vein carries oxygenated
blood, nutrients, antibodies & hormones from
the mothers artery to the placenta.
The advantages of the foetus having a
separate circulatory system from that of the
mother are;
1. To protect the foetus from bacteria infection
2. To protect the fine blood vessels of the
foetus from bursting as the mother blood
pressure is too high.
3. To prevent their blood from mixing in case
the foetus has a different blood group from
that of the mother
However drugs, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine &
some virus like HIV & the Rubella virus are still
able to penetrate this barrier & affect the
development of the foetus.