Final answer:
Oogenesis is the biological process where oogonia divide and differentiate into primary oocytes, which then undergo meiosis to produce a single ovum, resuming from puberty to menopause.
Step-by-step explanation:
Oogenesis
Oogenesis is the process of the formation of an ovum in the ovaries of females. During this process, ovarian stem cells known as oogonia divide by mitosis to produce primary oocytes, which will then undergo meiosis. This process is initiated during fetal development when primary oocytes are formed and arrested at this stage of meiosis I. They resume meiosis years later, beginning at puberty and continuing until menopause.
Unlike spermatogenesis, which results in the formation of four sperm cells, oogenesis results in the formation of a single ovum, with the other cells produced during meiosis developing into smaller cells called polar bodies. Upon fertilization, the secondary oocyte completes meiosis II and becomes an ovum.