Female (♀) is the sex Gender is the wide set of characteristics that are seen to distinguish between male and female. It can extend from sex to social role or gender identity. As a word, "gender" has more than one valid definition. In ordinary speech, it is used interchangeably with "sex" to denote the condition of being male or female. In the of an organism In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole. An organism may either be unicellular (single-celled) or be composed of, as in humans, many trillions of cells grouped into, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova An ovum is a haploid female reproductive cell or gamete. Both animals and embryophytes have ova. The term ovule is used for the young ovum of an animal, as well as the plant structure that carries the female gametophyte and egg cell and develops into a seed after fertilization. In lower plants and algae, the ovum is also often called oosphere (egg cells).
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Defining characteristics
The ova are defined as the larger gametes A gamete is a cell that fuses with another gamete during fertilization (conception) in organisms that reproduce sexually. In species that produce two morphologically distinct types of gametes, and in which each individual produces only one type, a female is any individual that produces the larger type of gamete—called an ovum (or egg)—and a in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile Motility is a biological term which refers to the ability to move spontaneously and actively, consuming energy in the process. Most animals are motile but the term applies to single-celled and simple multicellular organisms, as well as to some mechanisms of fluid flow in multicellular organs, in addition to animal locomotion. Motile marine animals gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male Male refers to the sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization. A male cannot reproduce sexually without access to at least one ovum from a female, but some organisms can reproduce both sexually. A female individual cannot reproduce sexually without access to the gametes of a male Male refers to the sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization. A male cannot reproduce sexually without access to at least one ovum from a female, but some organisms can reproduce both sexually (an exception is parthenogenesis Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction found in females, where growth and development of embryos occurs without fertilization by a male. In plants, parthenogenesis means development of an embryo from an unfertilized egg cell, and is a component process of apomixis. The offspring produced by parthenogenesis are always female in species). Some organisms can reproduce both sexually and asexually Asexual reproduction is reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization. Only one parent is involved in asexual reproduction. A more stringent definition is agamogenesis which refers to reproduction without the fusion of gametes. Asexual reproduction is the primary form of reproduction for single-celled organisms.
There is no single genetic mechanism behind sex differences in different species and the existence of two sexes seems to have evolved Evolution is the change in the inherited traits of a population of organisms through successive generations. After a population splits into smaller groups, these groups evolve independently and may eventually diversify into new species. Ultimately, life is descended from a common ancestory through a long series of these speciation events, multiple times independently in different evolutionary lineages An evolutionary lineage is a sequence of species, that form a line of descent, each new species the direct result of speciation from an immediate ancestral species. Lineages are subsets of the evolutionary tree of life. Lineages are often determined by the techniques of molecular systematics. The repeated pattern is sexual reproduction in isogamous Isogamy refers to a form of sexual reproduction involving gametes of similar morphology, differing only in allele expression in one or more mating-type regions. Since both gametes look alike, they cannot be classified as "male" or "female." Instead, organisms undergoing isogamy are said to have different mating types, most species with two or more mating types Mating types occur in eukaryotes that undergo sexual reproduction via isogamy. Since the gametes of different mating types look alike, they are often referred to by numbers, letters, or simply "+" and "-" instead of "male" and "female." Mating can only take place between different mating types with gametes of identical form and behavior (but different at the molecular level) to anisogamous There are several types of anisogamy. Both gametes may be flagellated and thus motile. Alternatively, neither of the gametes may be flagellated. This situation occurs for example in some algae and plants. In the red alga Polysiphonia, large non-motile egg cells are fertilized by small, non-motile spermatia. In flowering plants, the gametes are non- species with gametes A gamete is a cell that fuses with another gamete during fertilization (conception) in organisms that reproduce sexually. In species that produce two morphologically distinct types of gametes, and in which each individual produces only one type, a female is any individual that produces the larger type of gamete—called an ovum (or egg)—and a of male and female types to oogamous Oogamy is the familiar form of sexual reproduction. It is a form of anisogamy in which the female gamete (e.g. egg cell) is significantly larger than the male gamete and is non-motile. The male gametes are typically highly motile spermatozoa competing for the fertilization of the immotile egg species in which the female gamete is very much larger than the male and has no ability to move. There is an argument that this pattern was driven by the physical constraints on the mechanisms by which two gametes get together as required for sexual reproduction.[1]
Other than the defining difference in the type of gamete produced, differences between males and females in one lineage cannot always be predicted by differences in another. The concept is not limited to animals Animals are a major group of mostly multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and independently. All animals are also; egg cells are produced by chytrids Chytridiomycota or chytrids (sg. pronounced /ˈkɪtrɪd/, KIT-rid) is a division of the Fungi kingdom. The name is derived from the Greek chytridion, meaning "little pot", describing the structure containing unreleased spores. In older classifications, chytrids (except the recently established order Spizellomycetales) were placed in the, diatoms Diatoms are a major group of algae, and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although they can exist as colonies in the shape of filaments or ribbons , fans (e.g. Meridion), zigzags (e.g. Tabellaria), or stellate colonies (e.g. Asterionella). Diatoms are producers within the food chain. A characteristic, water moulds Oömycota or oömycetes (pronounced /ˌoʊ əˈmaɪ sit is/), also known as water molds (or water moulds: see spelling differences), form a distinct phylogenetic lineage of fungus-like eukaryotic microorganisms. They are filamentous microscopic, absorptive organisms that reproduce both sexually and asexually. Oomycetes occupy both saprophytic and and land plants Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. They include familiar organisms such as trees, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The scientific study of plants, known as botany, has identified about 350,000 extant species of plants, defined as seed plants, bryophytes, ferns and fern allies. As of 2004,, among others. In land plants, female and male designate not only the egg- and sperm-producing organisms and structures, but also the structures of the sporophytes All land plants, and some algae, have life cycles in which a haploid gametophyte generation alternates with a diploid sporophyte, the generation of a plant or algae that has a double set of chromosomes. A multicellular sporophyte generation or phase is present in the life cycle of all land plants and in some green algae. For common flowering that give rise to male and female plants.
Etymology and usage
The word female comes from the Latin femella, the diminutive form of femina, meaning "woman A woman is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent. However, the term woman is also sometimes used to identify a female human, regardless of age, as in phrases such as "Women's rights"," which is not actually related to the word "male." In the late 14th century, the English spelling was altered so that the word paralleled the spelling of "male."
Mammalian female
The distinguishing characteristic of the class The composition of each class is determined by a taxonomist. Often there is no exact agreement, with different taxonomists taking different positions. There are no hard rules that a taxonomist needs to follow in describing a class, but for well-known animals there is likely to be consensus. For example, dogs are usually assigned to the phylum Mammalia is the presence of mammary glands Mammary glands are the organs that, in mammals, produce milk for the sustenance of the young. These exocrine glands are enlarged and modified sweat glands and give mammals their name. The mammary glands of domestic mammals that have more than two breasts are called dugs. The mammary glands are modified sweat glands that produce milk Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It provides the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. The early lactation milk is known as colostrum, and carries the mother's antibodies to the baby. It can reduce the risk of many diseases in the baby. The exact, which is used to feed the young during the period of time shortly after birth. Only mammals have the capacity to produce milk Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands, the process of providing that milk to the young, and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process occurs in all female mammals, and in humans it is commonly referred to as breastfeeding or nursing. In most species milk comes out of the mother's nipples;. The presence of mammary glands is most obvious on humans Humans are a species of animal known taxonomically as Homo sapiens , and are the only extant member of the Homo genus of bipedal primates in Hominidae, the great ape family. However, in some cases "human" is used to refer to any member of the genus Homo, due to the tendency of the female human body to store large amounts of fatty tissue near the nipples, resulting in prominent breasts, although today some human females also surgically augment their breast size. However, mammary glands are present in all mammals, although they are vestigial Vestigiality describes homologous characters of organisms which have seemingly lost all or most of their original function in a species through evolution. These may take various forms such as anatomical structures, behaviors and biochemical pathways. Some of these disappear early in embryonic development, but others are retained in adulthood in the male of the species.
The mammalian female is characterized by having two copies of the X chromosome The X chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes in many animal species, including mammals . It is a part of the XY sex-determination system and X0 sex-determination system. The X chromosome was named for its unique properties by early researchers, which resulted in the naming of its counterpart Y chromosome, for the next letter in as opposed to the male which carries only one X and one smaller Y chromosome The Y chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes in most mammals, including humans. In mammals, it contains the gene SRY, which triggers testis development if present. The human Y chromosome is composed of about 60 million base pairs. DNA in the Y chromosome is passed from father to son, thus tracking many surnames. Y-DNA analysis is. To compensate for the difference in size, one of the female's X chromosomes is randomly inactivated X-inactivation is a process by which one of the two copies of the X chromosome present in female mammals is inactivated. The inactive X chromosome is silenced by packaging into transcriptionally inactive heterochromatin. X-inactivation occurs so that the female, with two X chromosomes, does not have twice as many X chromosome gene products as the in each cell. In birds, by contrast, it is the female who is heterozygous Zygosity refers to the similarity of genes for a trait in an organism. If both genes are the same, the organism is homozygous for the trait. If both genes are different, the organism is heterozygous for that trait. If one gene is missing, it is hemizygous, and if both genes are missing, it is nullizygous and carries a Z and a W chromosome whilst the male carries two Z chromosomes.
Mammalian females are characterized in that they all bear live young (with the rare exception of monotremes Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs (Prototheria) instead of giving birth to live young like marsupials (Metatheria) and placental mammals (Eutheria), which lay eggs). This is not totally unique, as some animals, such as guppies The guppy , also known as the millionfish, is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. It is a small member of the Poeciliidae family (females 4–6 centimetres (1.6–2.4 in) long, males 2.5–3.5 centimetres (1.0–1.4 in) long) and like all other members of the family, is live-bearing have analogous reproductive structures. In addition, some other non-mammalian animals, such as sharks Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago, before the time of the dinosaurs, whose eggs hatch inside their bodies also have the appearance of bearing live young.
Symbol
A common symbol used to represent the female sex is ♀ (Unicode Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems. Developed in conjunction with the Universal Character Set standard and published in book form as The Unicode Standard, the latest version of Unicode consists of a repertoire of more than 107,000: U+2640 Alt codes On Personal computers running the Microsoft Windows or DOS operating systems, additional characters to those available in the current keyboard layout can be typed using the alt key in conjunction with the keyboard's numeric keypad. This technique is generally called a character code: Alt+12), a circle with a small cross underneath. According to Schott[2], the most established view is that the male and female symbols "are derived from contractions in Greek script of the Greek names of these planets, namely Thouros (Mars) and Phosphoros (Venus). These derivations have been traced by Renkama[3] who illustrated how Greek letters can be transformed into the graphic male and female symbols still recognised today." Thouros was abbreviated by θρ, and Phosphoros by Φκ, which were contracted into the modern symbols.
Sex determination
Main article: Sex-determination systemThe sex of a particular organism may be determined by a number of factors. These may be genetic or environmental, or may naturally change during the course of an organism's life. Although most species with male and female sexes have individuals that are either male or female, hermaphroditic In biology, a hermaphrodite is an animal or plant that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes. . Many taxonomic groups of animals , do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both partners can act as the "female" animals have both male and female reproductive organs.
Genetic determination
Most mammals Mammals are a class of vertebrate, air-breathing animals whose females are characterized by the possession of mammary glands while both males and females are characterized by hair and/or fur, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the brain. Some mammals have sweat glands, but most do not, including humans Humans are a species of animal known taxonomically as Homo sapiens , and are the only extant member of the Homo genus of bipedal primates in Hominidae, the great ape family. However, in some cases "human" is used to refer to any member of the genus Homo, are genetically determined as such by the XY sex-determination system where males have an XY (as opposed to XX) sex chromosome A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein that is found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions. The word chromosome comes from the Greek χρῶμα. During reproduction Reproduction is the biological process by which new "offspring" individual organisms are produced from their "parents". Reproduction is a fundamental feature of all known life; each individual organism exists as the result of reproduction. The known methods of reproduction are broadly grouped into two main types: sexual and, a male can give either an X sperm or a Y sperm, while a female can only give an X egg. A Y sperm and an X egg produce a boy A boy is a young male human , as contrasted to its female counterpart, girl, or an adult male, a man, while an X sperm and an X egg produce a girl A girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman. The ZW sex-determination system, where males have a ZZ (as opposed to ZW) sex chromosome may be found in birds Birds are winged, bipedal, endothermic (warm-blooded), egg-laying, vertebrate animals. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most varied of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from the 5 cm (2 in) Bee Hummingbird to the 2.75 m (9 ft) Ostrich and some insects Insects are a class within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are among the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million described species and represent more than half of all known living and other organisms. Members of Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. There are over 130,000 recognised species, with many more remaining to be described. The name refers to the heavy wings of the insects, and is derived from the Ancient Greek ὑμήν : membrane and πτερόν (pteron): wing. The hindwings are, such as ants A phylogeny of the extant ant subfamilies and bees Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila. There are nearly 20,000 known species of bees in seven to nine recognized families,, are determined by haplodiploidy, where most males are haploid and females and some sterile males are diploid.
Environmental determination
Some species develop into one sex or the other depending on local environmental conditions, e.g. many crocodilians' sex is influenced by the temperature of their eggs. Other species (such as the goby) are capable of transforming, as adults, from one sex to the other in response to local reproductive conditions (such as a shortage of males). In humans and most mammals, sex is determined chromosomally—a Y sperm will produce a male offspring and an X sperm a female.
See also
| Look up female in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Females |
Sources
Ayers, Donald M. English Words from Latin and Greek Elements. Second Edition. 1986. University of Arizona Press. United States.
References
- ^ Dusenbery, David B. (2009). Living at Micro Scale, Chapter 20. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. ISBN 978-0-674-03116-6.
- ^ Schott GD. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll: Sex symbols ancient and modern: their origins and iconography on the pedigree.BMJ 2005;331:1509-1510 (24 December), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7531.1509
- ^ Renkema HW. Oorspong, beteekenis en toepassing van de in de botanie gebuikelijke teekens ter aanduiding van het geslacht en den levensduur. In: Jeswiet J, ed. Gedendenkboek J Valckenier Suringar. Wageningen: Nederlandsche Dendrologische Vereeniging, 1942: 96-108.
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Categories: Gender | Sex | Women
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Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:15:00 GMT+00:00
worm Sydney Morning Herald NSW Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell says he would be happy to face the female worm in a television debate against Premier Kristina Keneally. ...
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Women have different shape needs than men; especially if you are a . female. athlete. They have different solutions in dealing with their body needs and with their shape. A lot of incorrect information regarding the administer of how ...
Q. He creates huge bubble nests and he lives in a bowl like home the size of my computer screen. he is very happy but looks lonely. i herd u need a specific aged old female. any tips on how i should introduce my female to my male? (havnt bought the female yet) but im planning to buy the female today later maybe this afternoon.
Asked by Psycho - Mon May 26 19:08:14 2008 - - 5 Answers - 0 Comments
A. I would not recommend a fishbowl (no matter what size) for any fish. A small fishbowl is not the best way to keep a Betta. However because of their air breathing organ, a Betta is one of the few fish they may survive in an unfiltered fish bowl. If you are wanting to breed your Betta, I would suggest that you get a 10-gallon aquarium for breeding purposes and a 5-gallon aquarium as your main aquarium. You do not need a female specifically aged. I would suggest that you buy three females for the male. On occasion, males have killed females during mating and after. Plus, if you want to house the females with the male, you will need three to keep female aggression down. In the 10-gallon breeder tank when I introduced a female to the male,… [cont.]
Answered by NCConfederate13 - Mon May 26 20:14:38 2008
