Fetal Development

Question 1

What are the early stages of embryonic development?

Answer 1

Fertilization, cleavage, blastula formation, gastrulation and neuralation

Question 2

What is fertilization?

Answer 2

Process in which gametes fuse to form a zygote

Question 3

What is a blastula?

Answer 3

A 6-32 called, hollow structure that is formed after a zygote undergoes all division
Forms a blastocyst - also the cells in the blastula arrange themselves into an inner all mass and on outer layer

Question 4

What is gastrulation?

Answer 4

When cells in the blastula rearrange themselves spatially to form three cells of layers

Question 5

What are the three layers in gastrulation?

Answer 5

Endoderm, ectoderm and mesoderm

Question 6

What do each of the three germ layers give rise to?

Answer 6

Ectoderm= skin and nervous system
Endoderm = intestinal organs
Mesoderm = rest of the organs

Question 7

What is neuralation?

Answer 7

The process that develops the neural tube in the ectoderm - above the notochord of the mesoderm

Question 8

What is the notochord?

Answer 8

Composed of cells derived from the mesoderm, provides signals to the surrounding tissue during development