The condition in which an organism produces two different types of gametes (sex cells), typically resulting in one sex determining the gender of offspring.
From Greek 'hetero-' (different) and 'gamete' (spouse/marriage cell), combining to describe the production of unlike reproductive cells. The suffix '-ty' converts it to an abstract noun describing this condition.
In humans, males are heterogametic because they produce both X and Y sperm cells—whichever one fertilizes the egg determines if a baby is female or male. This is why fathers actually determine their children's sex, not mothers!
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