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DIGOS CITY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
QUARTER 2 (WEEK 2)
EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCE

Name: ___________________________________ Grade & Section: _______________ Date: ___________

Topic: Perpetuation of Life

Learning Competencies:
The learners describe the different ways of how representative animals reproduce (S11/12LTIIej-15)
Objective/s
1. Learn the advantage and disadvantage of both types of reproduction.
2. Relate how animal reproduction impacts ecosystem imbalance.

There are two modes of reproduction: sexual and asexual. In the previous activity sheet, the asexual
reproduction was discussed thoroughly. This time we will be discussing more on the sexual reproduction. Sexual
reproduction is a mode of reproduction involving the fusion of haploid female gamete (egg cell) and haploid male
gamete (sperm cell). The fusion of these gametes occurs at fertilization resulting in the formation of a diploid
zygote. The zygote develops into an individual organism that is genetically distinct from the parent organisms. This
is in contrast to asexual reproduction where an organism reproduces without involving gametes and the resulting
offspring is a clone of the parent.

Sexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction

involving the fusion of haploid female and male gametes. The
fusion of these gametes occurs at fertilization resulting in the
formation of a diploid zygote. Sexual reproduction incorporates
fundamental processes such as gametogenesis and fertilization.
Gametogenesis is a biological process that incorporates
cell divisions, particularly mitosis and meiosis, to produce
gametes (sex cells). It begins with the primordial cells dividing
mitotically and then each of them will undergo meiosis.
Meiosis is a form of cell division wherein a cell goes
through two sequential cell divisions. As such, it gives rise to
four haploid cells. Each haploid cell, then, undergoes
maturation to become fully-differentiated gamete (sex cell).

In females, the mature gamete is an egg cell (also called

ovum). In males, the mature gamete is a sperm cell (also called
spermatozoon). The male gamete usually has to find and swim its way
to the ovum. In higher forms of animals, the male and the female
usually of the same species engage in sexual intercourse to bring the
gametes closer for union. The sperm cell upon finding the egg cell will
penetrate it so that their genetic material could combine as one full set
(diploid). This union marks fertilization and the fertilized egg
undergoes series of mitotic divisions to give rise to an embryo
comprised of diploid cells.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Sexual and Asexual
Reproduction
Advantages of Sexual Reproduction:
• Produces genetic variation in the offspring
• The species can adapt to new environments due to variation, which
gives them a survival
advantage
• A disease is less likely to affect all the individuals in a population
Advantages of Asexual Reproduction:
• The population can increase rapidly when the conditions are
favourable
• Only one parent is needed
• It is more time and energy efficient as you don’t need a mate
• It is faster than sexual reproduction
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Disadvantages of Sexual Reproduction: Disadvantage of Asexual Reproduction:

• Time and energy are needed to find a mate It does not lead to genetic variation in a population
• It is not possible for an isolated individual to reproduce The species may only be situated to one habitat
Disease may affect all individuals in a population

Examples in the Natural World

Bacterial Reproduction
Bacteria, such as E. coli, reproduce asexually. An advantage of this is that they can produce many
bacteria very quickly. A disadvantage is that all of the bacteria are genetically identical. If an antibiotic was
used on the bacteria, then all of them would die. The population would be wiped out. The only way for a
variation to be introduced into the population is by random mutation.

Rabbit Reproduction
Most animals reproduce sexually, for example, rabbits. The process of sexual reproduction introduces
variation into the species because the alleles that the mother and the father carry are mixed together in the
offspring. A disadvantage is that sexual reproduction takes longer than asexual reproduction. A mate must be
found, the egg must be fertilized by sperm, and then the offspring develop. The benefit of introducing genetic
variation into the species, however, outweighs this disadvantage. If a disease were to hit the rabbit population,
then perhaps not all of the rabbits would be affected because of the variation in the population. This means
that some individuals would survive and be able to reproduce and generate more offspring.

Asexual and Sexual Reproduction in Fungi

Some fungi are able to reproduce both sexually and asexually. Fungi reproduce using spores which
they release into the environment. A new fungus will grow from the spore. The Coprinus cinereus fungus
can produce spores by sexual reproduction to help create variation in the species. This method of
reproduction is advantageous when the environment is changing because the variation introduced leads to
an increase in the probability that a variant that can deal with the change. Coprinus cinereus also produces
spores by asexual reproduction. These spores can be produced quickly and in large numbers to enable
many individual fungi to develop. A disadvantage of these is that they generate offspring that are unlikely
to be resistant to unfavorable conditions because they are all genetically identical.

Activity 1: Sexual and Asexual Reproduction Questions

1. What are the two basic ways that organisms reproduce?

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2. Why do offspring produced by sexual reproduction show variation from their parents?
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3. Explain meiosis.
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4. What are the advantages of sexual reproduction?
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5. What are the disadvantages of sexual reproduction?
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6. Why do offspring produced by asexual reproduction show no variation from the parent?

7. What are the advantages of asexual reproduction?

8. What are the disadvantages of asexual reproduction?

9. Sexual reproduction helps a species to be successful because …

10. Asexual reproduction helps a species to be successful because…

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Activity 2. Directions: For each picture decide whether that organism reproduces asexually or sexually.
Place an A for asexual reproduction or an S for sexual reproduction next to each number in the box.
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Activity 3. Survival Mode

Given the following scenarios, which method of animal reproduction will best allow the survival
of a species and why?
1. In an area devastated by a level 5 Typhoon.
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2. Rainforest
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3. Dessert
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4. After an earthquake
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5. Antarctica
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Activity 4. Filled Me Up
Answer the following questions inside the box.
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