During fertilization in animals, a haploid egg nucleus fuses with a haploid sperm nucleus to restore the diploid genome. In most animals including mammals, echinoderms, and teleostei, the penetration of only one sperm into an egg is ensured at fertilization because the entry of two or more sperm is prevented by polyspermy block systems in these eggs. On the other hand, several animals such as birds, reptiles, and most urodele amphibians exhibit physiological polyspermy, in which the entry of several sperm into one egg is permitted. However, in these polyspermic eggs, only one sperm nucleus is involved in zygotic formation with a female nucleus, thereby avoiding syngamy with multiple sperm nuclei. In the chicken, 20-60 sperm are generally found within the egg cytoplasm at fertilization and this number is markedly higher than that of other polyspermic species; however, avian-specific events such as the degeneration and mitosis of supernumerary sperm nuclei during early embryo development allow a polyspermic egg to develop normally. This chapter describes current knowledge on polyspermy-related events in avian eggs during fertilization, and is characterized by a comparison to the fertilization modes of other vertebrates. The close relationship between sperm numbers and egg sizes, and the movement of supernumerary sperm nuclei towards the periphery of the egg cytoplasm and their degeneration are summarized. The molecular mechanisms by which polyspermy initiates egg activation to start embryo development are also discussed.
Keywords: Diploid genome; Egg activation; Egg sizes; Fertilization modes; Physiological polyspermy; Polyspermy block; Sperm numbers; Supernumerary sperm.