Fertilization

Fertilization: Comparative Morphology, Biochemistry, and Immunology, Volume I focuses on the many aspects of the physiological mechanisms of fertilization in different forms of life. The selection first tackles the problems and procedures of comparative gametology and syngamy and sperm motility. Discussions focus on the morphology of cilia and flagella, extraneous chemical and physical factors, motility in male and female reproductive tests, problems of the quantitative and qualitative control of fertility, and patterns of reproduction. The text then ponders on sperm metabolism and mechanisms of gametic approach in plants. The manuscript takes a look at gamete surface components and their role in fertilization, acrosome reaction and lysins, and membrane fusion in relation to sperm-egg association. Topics include gametic association, acrosome formation during spermiogenesis, fine-structure studies of acrosomal changes, specificity of fertilization, and amphibian fertilization. The book also examines the activation of the egg and parthenogenesis in vertebrates. The selection is a valuable reference for readers interested in the processes involved in fertilization.