Introduction to Reproduction

Reproduction is the biological process by which organisms give birth or give rise
to a new organism or offspring. This process is seen in all living organisms-
both plants and animals.

Types of Reproduction

Reproduction can be of two types:

• Sexual - involves two parents of the opposite sex that give rise to a new
organism.
• Asexual - involves a single parent which gives rise to a new organism.

Sexual Reproduction requires two parents

Ø Sexual reproduction requires a male and female. Each parent contributes half of
their genetic material, or DNA, to their offspring.
Ø The female contributes her DNA in an egg cell. The male contributes his DNA in
a sperm cell. When the egg and sperm combine, they form the new offspring.
Ø Offspring may look similar to their parents, but they are not exact copies.
Ø In sexual reproduction, each offspring has a mixture of its parent’s traits. Parents
may pass on dominant traits or recessive traits to their offspring. Each offspring
may be different from its siblings.
Ø In mammals, who are not egg-laying animals, fertilization generally occurs inside
the female and this type of fertilization is known as internal fertilization. In other
species such as birds, reptiles etc., the female lays the eggs from which a new
organism arises. It is also the same in case of fishes and amphibians.
Ø Animals that lay eggs are known as oviparous, while those that give birth to live
young are called as viviparous.
 These puppies are a product of sexual reproduction. They each have a unique mixture of their parents’
traits.

Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants

The process of reproduction in a flowering plant takes place in the flower. A

flowering plant produces seeds through the process of sexual reproduction. The flower
serves as the plant’s reproductive center.

Specific structures in each plant plays a part in plant sexual reproduction.

• Petals – They surround the plant’s reproductive parts of the flower. Petals are
usually a colorful structure arranged in a circle around the top of the stem.
• Sepals – Modified leaves that encase a developing flower. Sepals are the sterile
parts of the flower and are usually green or leaf like.
• Stamen – The male reproductive organ of a flower. The stamen consists of an
anther and filament. Filament is a slender part of stamen that supports the anther.
The anther is responsible for producing pollen that contains sperm cells.
• Pistil – The female reproductive organ of a flower. The pistil consists of an ovary,
stigma, and style. The stigma has an adhesive area that allows the pollen from the
stamen to stick to the pistil. The style is a stalk structure between the ovary and the
stigma. The ovary is responsible for producing the egg cells.

The flower parts of the plant function together in pollination and fertilization.
Pollination is the movement of pollen from the male part of a plant to the female parts of
a plant. Fertilization is the process where the male reproductive material fertilizes the
ovule that contains the female germ cell and that becomes a seed.
 The wind assists in the pollination by blowing seeds to another location, called
wind pollination. Sometimes a plant needs another organism to assist in pollination,
such as bees that acts as the pollinator. Animals with fur can also help in the pollination
process. If an animal eats a plant’s fruit, which contains seeds, the animal will release
the seed in their feces.
Asexual Reproduction
As mentioned earlier, this type of reproduction needs only one parent. The
process of fertilization does not occur as there is no fusion of gametes. Unlike sexual
reproduction, there is no mixing of genetic material as the offspring have the same
genetic material as the parent.

There are many forms of asexual reproduction:

1. Budding - Ex: Hydra

Ø is a method of asexual reproduction where a new organism develops from an
outgrowth from the parent body known as a bud. These derive nutrition from the
parent for growth and development. Once grown, the new organism detaches
from the parent body. This process is called budding. This type of reproduction
can be seen in Hydra.

2. Binary fission: Ex: Bacteria, amoeba

Ø In this type of reproduction, parent cell divides into two equal parts each
containing a nucleus. These are called daughter cells. The daughter cells are
genetically and physically similar to the parent cell. This type of asexual
reproduction can be seen in organisms such as amoeba, bacteria, etc.
3. Fragmentation: Ex: Flatworms, Spirogyra
Ø This type of asexual reproduction is exhibited by Planaria, a species of flatworm.
In this, the parent body breaks into several pieces where each piece grows into a
new individual. The detachment of the body parts is intentional.

4. Regeneration: Ex: Echinoderms (starfish, sea cucumber, sea urchin)

Ø In this process, if a part of the body of an organism is detached, the area of
detachment grows into a completely new part and the detached part grows into a
new individual. Regeneration is observed in Echinoderms, invertebrate marine
animals.
Is asexual reproduction better than sexual reproduction?

Sexual reproduction is considered better than asexual reproduction. In asexual

reproduction, the offspring is an exact copy of the parent since only one parent is
involved in reproduction. Therefore, there is no variation in the organisms and they have
fewer chances to adapt to different environments. On the contrary, sexual reproduction
involves the genetic transfer to the offspring from both the parents. Hence, there are
variations in their genes and they can adapt to different environmental conditions.