Postfertilized
Postfertilized refers to the developmental stage of an organism following fertilization. Fertilization is the process by which a male gamete, such as a sperm, fuses with a female gamete, such as an ovum, to form a zygote. The postfertilized period encompasses all subsequent developmental events that occur as the zygote divides and differentiates into a complex multicellular organism.
Immediately after fertilization, the zygote undergoes a series of rapid mitotic cell divisions known as cleavage.
The specific events that occur postfertilization vary greatly depending on the species. In animals, this period