| Term | Definition |
|---|
| capacitation | ability to fertilize |
| corona radiata | layer of follicle cells that surround the oocyte; prevents unhealthy sperm from penetrating the egg |
| zona pellucida | innermost barrier membrane that surrounds the oocyte |
| oocyte activation | a series of changes in the metabolic activity of the oocyte triggered by the fusion of male and female pronuclei |
| cortical reaction | depolarization of the oocyte membrane leads to exocytosis of vesicles located just interior to the oocyte membrane; prevents fertilization by more than one sperm |
| cleavage | first step of the first trimester; division of zygote into a blastocyst |
| blastomeres | identical cells produced by cleavage divisions |
| morula | stage of pre-embryo after three days of cleavage; doesn't include an inner cavity |
| blastocyst | formation of a hollow ball by the blastomeres with an inner cavity |
| blastocoele | inner cavity of the blastocyst |
| trophoblast | outer layers of blastocyst which provide nutrients to the developing embryo; will eventually become the placenta |
| inner cell mass | a group of cells clustered at the end of the blastocyst that will eventually form the embryo |
| implantation | second stage in the the first trimester; occurs seven days after fertilization |
| placentation | third stage in the first trimester; formation of blood vessels and development of placenta |
| embryogenesis | last stage of the first trimester; formation of all of the major organ systems |
| organogenesis | start of the fetal period; differentiation of major systems; second and third trimesters |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace
!