To understand what a zygote differs from gametes, one must first of all know their definitions.
A gamete is a reproductive cell that has a single (or haploid) set of chromosomes that participates in sexual reproduction. That is, in other words, the egg and spermatozoon are gametes with a set of chromosomes of 23 in each.
Zygote is the result of the fusion of two gametes. That is, the zygote is formed as a result of the fusion of the female egg and the male sperm. In consequence, it develops into an individual (in our case, a person) with hereditary traits of both parents' organisms.
Which set of chromosomes does the zygote have?
As it becomes clear, the set of chromosomes in the zygote is formed as a result of the fusion of 23 chromosomes in each of the parental gametes, since the zygote itself is formed during the fusion of two gametes. That is, there are 46 chromosomes in the zygote.
The role of the zygote and gametes is high, since without them reproduction and the generation change are impossible. In addition, the formation of a zygote and the subsequent development of a new species from the zygote provides a genetic diversity of people on Earth.
Gametes (sex cells) appear in any, including in the human, organism after its puberty. These cells are assigned unique functions. They are transmitters of hereditary information from generation to generation. Their nuclei contain all the necessary information for its inheritance by a new organism.
If we consider separately male and female gametes, they have some differences. Thus, the egg contains a lot of cytoplasm with the nutrient material (yolk) necessary for the normal development of the future embryo. In the sperm, on the contrary, there is a high vascular-cytoplasmic ratio, that is, almost the entire cell is represented by the nucleus. This is due to the main function of the sperm - he needs to deliver the material as quickly as possible to the egg.