SexFrom Wikipedia the free encyclopediaThis article is about biological sex For other uses such as sexual intercourse and the social concept of gender see Sex (disambiguation)An organisms sex is defined by the gametes it produces males produce male gametes (spermatozoa or sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova or egg cells) individual organisms which produce both male and female gametes are termed hermaphroditic Frequently physical differences are associated with the different sexes of an organism these sexual dimorphisms can reflect the different reproductive pressures the sexes experienceSex in animals involves the fusion of a sperm and an egg cellIn biology sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits often resulting in the specialization of organisms into male and female types (or sexes) Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells (gametes) to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents Gametes can be identical in form and function (known as isogametes) but in many cases an asymmetry has evolved such that two sexspecific types of gametes (heterogametes) exist male gametes are small motile and optimized to transport their genetic information over a distance while female gametes are large nonmotile and contain the nutrients necessary for the early development of the young organism
