This volume provides an overview of the morphological, biochemical and physiological processes which occur during the maturation of sperm and oocyte, fertilization and early embryogenesis. It describes the common principles underlying these complex phenomena.

This volume provides an overview of the morphological, biochemical and physiological processes which occur during the maturation of sperm and oocyte, fertilization and early embryogenesis. Using a comparative approach to the complex phenomena of oogenesis, spermatogenesis and reproduction, the common principles underlying these processes are identified as relevant in widely separated invertebrate and vertebrate taxa. Following a description of cytokinesis, further chapters focus on ion regulation in oogenesis, ionic and electrical changes at fertilization, as well as oocyte transport systems for various nutrients essential for embryogenesis. In the final chapters, detailed analyses of reproduction in male and female elasmobranch fish, which occupy a key phylogenetic position, are presented.