This chapter explains how organisms produce new individuals so that life continues across generations. Reproduction is of two broad types. In asexual reproduction a single parent produces offspring that are almost exact copies (clones), with no mixing of characters; its methods include binary fission (amoeba, bacteria), budding (yeast, hydra), fragmentation (spirogyra), regeneration (planaria), spore formation (mould, ferns) and vegetative propagation in plants (by roots, stems, leaves — as in potato eyes and Bryophyllum leaves — and artificially by cuttings, layering and grafting). Asexual reproduction is fast and useful when conditions are stable, and farmers use it to keep desirable plant varieties unchanged. In sexual reproduction two parents contribute specialised sex cells called gametes; their fusion (fertilisation) forms a zygote that develops into the offspring, which inherits a mix of both parents’ characters — this variation helps populations adapt and survive change. In flowering plants the flower is the reproductive organ: pollen (male) reaches the stigma, the pollen tube carries male gametes to the ovule for fertilisation, and the ovary becomes the fruit while ovules become seeds. In humans, the male and female reproductive systems produce sperm and eggs; at puberty hormonal changes make these systems mature, the menstrual cycle prepares the female body for pregnancy, fertilisation forms a zygote that develops in the uterus, and the chapter also notes reproductive health.
Importance and types of reproductionAsexual methods: fission, budding, fragmentation, sporesVegetative propagation and artificial methodsSexual reproduction and fertilisation in plantsHuman reproduction, puberty and reproductive health
Key terms
Asexual reproduction
Reproduction involving a single parent and no gametes, producing offspring that are genetically identical copies of the parent.
Binary fission
An asexual method in which a single parent cell, such as amoeba, divides into two equal daughter cells.
Vegetative propagation
Asexual reproduction in plants from vegetative parts (root, stem or leaf), as in potato eyes and Bryophyllum leaf buds.
Sexual reproduction
Reproduction involving two parents and the fusion of male and female gametes, producing offspring with mixed characters.
Fertilisation
The fusion of a male gamete with a female gamete to form a zygote, which develops into a new individual.
Zygote
The single cell formed by the fusion of two gametes during fertilisation, which divides and develops into the offspring.
Extra questions & answers
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In asexual reproduction, the offspring produced are:
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