blastula
Noun: 1. An early embryonic stage: A blastula is a very early stage in the development of an animal embryo, formed after the fertilized egg (zygote) undergoes a series of cell divisions called cleavage. 2. A hollow spherical structure: It is typically a hollow sphere (blastocyst in mammals) filled with fluid, and its wall is made up of a single layer of cells (blastomeres).
The term is used specifically in the fields of embryology, developmental biology, and zoology to describe this distinct, transient stage of development. * The blastula forms after the morula stage and precedes the gastrula. * Researchers observed the single-layered structure of the blastula under the microscope.
- Blastulation: The process of forming a blastula.
- The embryo undergoes blastulation to form the hollow blastula structure.
- Blastocoel: The fluid-filled cavity inside the blastula.
- The blastocoel is a key feature of the blastula stage.
- Blastocyst (n): The mammalian equivalent of the blastula. It has an inner cell mass and a trophoblast layer.
- In humans, the blastocyst implants into the uterine wall.
- Blastomere (n): Any of the cells resulting from the cleavage of a fertilized ovum during early embryonic development, which form the wall of the blastula.
- The blastomeres divide rapidly to form the blastula.
- Early embryo
- Hollow ball stage (descriptive synonym)
The word "blastula" has a single, specific meaning in biological science and does not have other common definitions or usages outside this context.
- early stage of an embryo produced by cleavage of an ovum; a liquid-filled sphere whose wall is composed of a single layer of cells; during this stage (about eight days after fertilization) implantation in the wall of the uterus occurs