(1) The ovum contributes one chromosome of each pair to the fertilized cell

(2) When a human sperm fertilizes a human ovum , a single cell is created with the potential to grow into a human person.

(3) An ovum (plural ova) is a mature egg released at ovulation.

(4) As in most other animals, the sperm mitochondria penetrate the cell membrane of the ovum at fertilization.

(5) The ovaries perform both an exocrine function by producing ova and an endocrine function by producing estrogen and progesterone.

(6) There are a few exceptions to this pattern, most famously in seahorses where females have an ovipositor which places unfertilized ova into the male's pouch for insemination.