Question

In oogenesis, the second meiotic division...

1) Happens once each month as a female goes through the ovarian cycle
2) Only happens after fertilization
3) Results in two polar bodies
4) Yields two haploid gametes
5) Yields one egg and one corpus luteum

Answer 1

In oogenesis, the second meiotic division only occurs after fertilization, resulting in a haploid ovum and a second polar body, which disintegrates.

Step-by-step explanation:

Oogenesis and the Second Meiotic Division

The process of oogenesis involves the creation of female gametes and takes place within the ovary's outermost layer. It begins before birth with primary oocytes entering a prolonged resting phase at prophase I of meiosis. Oogenesis resumes during reproductive maturity and is characterized by a sequence of hormonal events leading to the maturation of a follicle, release of a secondary oocyte, and the occurrence of meiosis II upon fertilization. The secondary oocyte completes its first meiotic division to yield a large cell with the majority of cytoplasm and a small first polar body. At ovulation, the secondary oocyte is released and if it undergoes fertilization, the second meiotic division is completed, producing a haploid ovum and a second polar body. Thus, the correct answer to the student's question is that the second meiotic division in oogenesis only happens after fertilization. It does not produce two equal haploid gametes, but rather one large ovum and a second polar body which eventually disintegrates.