sperm cell

• Sperm cell

  • head = acrosome, cell membrane, nucleus
  • midpiece = mitochondria
  • tail = flagellum
• Structure

  The mid-section of the sperm cell contains many mitochondria which produce large amounts of ATP via aerobic respiration to provide energy for motility.
• •The sperm head contains the nucleus with one set of chromosomes.•The sperm head also has a structure under the cell membrane called the acrosome which contains digestive enzymes.•These enzymes are only released when the sperm cell contacts the egg cell, resulting in digestion of the egg’s protective layer (called the zona pellucida).••Once the egg cell protective layer is digested, the sperm cell injects its nucleus into the egg cell producing the diploid zygote; this is called fertilisation.