befruchtet

Befruchtet is the past participle of the verb befruchten and is used in biology and botany to describe a cell, embryo, or organism that has undergone fertilization. The basic idea is that genetic material from two gametes has combined to form a zygote, which then begins development.

In animals, fertilization occurs when a sperm fuses with an ovum, typically within the female reproductive tract. The resulting zygote starts to divide and develop into an embryo and, later, a fetus in mammals and other animals.

In plants, befruchtung involves the fertilization of an ovule after pollination. A pollen grain reaches the ovule and delivers sperm via a pollen tube. In flowering plants, fertilization is often described as double fertilization: one sperm fuses with the egg to form the zygote, while another fuses with the central cell to form the endosperm that nourishes the developing embryo. The fertilized ovule becomes the seed, containing the embryo and endosperm.

Linguistically, befruchtet can describe the egg or embryo as befruchtete, e.g., eine befruchtete Eizelle. The term is primarily used in scientific contexts; in everyday language it is less common outside discussions of reproduction.

In summary, befruchtet denotes that fertilization has occurred, enabling the next stage of development in both animals and plants. Related concepts include fertilization, pollination, zygote, and endosperm.