Question

Distinguish between human sperm and ovum.

Answer 1

Points	Human sperm	ovum
Meaning	The male gamete is responsible for fertilizing the female ovum.	The female gamete, which, upon fertilization by sperm, initiates the development of a new organism.
Structure	Designed for motility and fertilisation, it is divided into three pieces: the head, the middle, and the tail.	Rounded, non-motile, and relatively large compared to sperm, designed to provide the initial nutrients to the embryo.
Type of Gamete	The male gamete is smaller, designed for mobility and delivering genetic material to the ovum.	The female gamete is bigger and receives genetic material from sperm to nourish the developing foetus.
Head	Contains a haploid nucleus and is topped by the acrosome, which contains enzymes required to penetrate the ovum.	The nucleus is known as the germinal vesicle before fertilization and changes to the pronucleus after fertilization.
Middle Piece	Contains mitochondria wrapped around the axial filament, providing energy for sperm motility.	There is no intermediate portion; the cytoplasm (ooplasm) is abundant in nutrients and organelles required for early embryonic development.
Tail	A long, slender structure with an axial filament, enabling sperm motility.	Lacks a tail, as it is non-motile.
Nucleus	Haploid, containing either an X or Y chromosome, which determines the sex of the offspring.	Haploid as well, containing a single set of chromosomes and always providing an X chromosome.
Coverings	Lacks specialized external coverings; the plasma membrane is its main external boundary.	Surrounded by the vitelline membrane, zona pellucida, and corona radiata, it serves as both a protective barrier and a sperm-binding site.

Answer 2

	Human Sperm	Human Ovum
1.	Sperm is male gamete	Ovum is female gamete
2.	It is elongated in shape	It is spherical in shape
3.	It is motile	It is non-motile
4.	It is formed by spermatogenesis	It is formed by oogenesis.
5.	Centriole present	Centriole absent