Gametes are produced through meiosis and do not undergo mitosis to replicate after their formation. The discussion clarifies that while sperm cells are produced in large quantities, they do not divide through mitosis once they reach the haploid phase. Instead, primordial germ cells are diploid, and females develop primary oocytes during gestation, which are not considered gametes until ovulation occurs. The inquiry into the replication of gametes highlights a misunderstanding of the processes involved in gametogenesis.
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MathewsMD said:The "best answer" in the following link says: "these cells continue dividing, producing billions of sperm cells per day." Is this correct? Do sperm undergo countless divisions (mitosis) once they are formed in the haploid phase?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100214071825AAgcIhS (I know it's not the best source, but it pertains to the topic above and I can't seem to find the exact answers I'm looking for elsewhere).
atyy said:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10019/ - it looks like the primordial germ cells are diploid, so that doesn't seem to be what you are asking about.
Off the top of my head, a close phenomenon might be the mitosis of haploid yeast cells.
MathewsMD said:Another question closely related: in females, is there a general range of maximum potential ova? How many gametes do females develop by the end of gestation?