Polyspermic insemination has been studied for a century in sea urchins, and important work in this area goes back to T. Boveri in the early part of this century. The consequences of polyspermy are catastrophic, since both an incorrect amount of DNA and an extra centrosome are donated by each inseminating sperm. The animations provided here (again from Dr. David Epel) illustrate normal and polyspermic development.
Normal fertilization |
Polyspermic fertilization |
