noun
- the larger of two gametes in organisms that produce gametes of different sizes; the female gamete in sexual reproduction.
Usage: biology; technical
Examples
- In many algae and fungi, the megagamete is stationary while the microgamete is motile.
- The megagamete contributes most of the cytoplasm to the zygote after fertilization.
- Biologists distinguish between the megagamete and microgamete based on their relative sizes.
- The egg cell is a type of megagamete produced during oogenesis.