Question

In human males, when is meiosis initiated and completed?

A At birth, at ejaculation
B At puberty, at ejaculation
C At birth, at puberty
D At puberty, it is continuous
E At birth, it is continuous

Answer 1

In human males, meiosis for sperm production, or spermatogenesis, starts at puberty and is a continuous process that happens throughout a man's life.

Step-by-step explanation:

In human males, the process of spermatogenesis, which is the production of sperm through meiosis, begins at puberty and continues throughout a man's life. Spermatogenesis starts with the mitotic division of spermatogonia, which are stem cells, to produce primary spermatocytes that then undergo two divisions of meiosis to eventually become mature spermatozoa. The entire process from spermatogonia to formed sperm roughly takes 64 days to complete, with a new cycle starting about every 16 days.

Completion of meiosis for individual sperm cells occurs continuously after it has been initiated at puberty. Unlike egg production in females, which is cyclical, sperm production in males occurs constantly after the onset of puberty. The maturation and eventual ejaculation of sperm do not happen at a single moment, but rather the final maturation occurs over time as sperm move through and mature in the epididymis, ultimately being ejaculated during orgasm.