ABSTRACT
Amphimixis in animals refers to the short phase of fusion of male and female pronuclei and formation of zygotic diploid nucleus or synkaryon. Usually the term amphimixis is used in opposition to the term apomixis. In addition, amphimixis is considered in various aspects: as a sexual process or fertilization, as a reproductive phenomenon and as a system of reproduction. As a sexual process, amphimixis comprises karyomixis or the formation of the zygotic synkaryon and of the synkaryon of embryo sac central cell, and plasmomixis the fusion of male and female gamete cytoplasm. The “apomixis” was first introduced by W. Haacke for animals, and later it was used by R. Maire in a somewhat different interpretation. E. Battaglia was perhaps the first to consider the term “apomixis” in its more exact and narrow sense, as the process of heterophasic reproduction without amphimixis participation.
