Answers to coursebook questions Chapter 6

Unit 6.1 Types of reproduction

1 a Budding, spores, fission
b Budding: a new organism forms, attached to the old one.
Spores are released and reproduce when the environment is appropriate.
Fission: the cell divides into two.
2 Bacteria = fission; yeast = budding; ferns = spores; starfish = fragmentation and
regeneration.
3 Spores are tough, light, able to survive over time and in different environments.
4 Various answers, e.g. spores are brushed onto fur and brushed off elsewhere.
5 Vegetative propagation is when a piece is broken off a plant and then becomes a
new organism.
6 Sexual reproduction makes it likely that some organisms will have characteristics
that will help them survive.
7 Fertilisation is the successful fusing of two gametes.
8 A hermaphrodite has both male and female reproductive organs.
9 An ovum doesn’t have a tail (flagellum).
10 Ova are produced in the ovary (female) and sperm are produced in the testis (male).
11 Gametes must be mature, the organism must be healthy and the timing must be right.
12 a The release of an ovum by a female is called ovulation.
b Not all fertilised eggs survive to maturity.
13 Nectar is deep inside the flower to encourage insects to enter the flower, as the
pollen gets brushed onto and off them in the process.
14 Various answers, e.g. in internal fertilisation, the gametes and the embryo are more
protected, in external fertilisation they are more vulnerable to the external
environmental conditions and predators.
15 a In asexual reproduction, only one parent is needed.
b Fission is a type of asexual reproduction.
c If the daughter cell is identical to the parent cell, a mutation has not occurred.
16 No, clones do not always look like their parents. Natural mutations occur and the
environment also has an influence.
17 The further spores can be spread, the greater is the chance that they will survive.
18 They still have normal life spans and cannot always regenerate—for example, if they
lose too much of a body part.
19 Body temperature suits them best.
20 a Because the cutting can develop into a new plant by the cells in the cutting
splitting into exact replicas, called daughter cells.
b This is known as vegetative reproduction.
21 Because this flexibility enables them to survive in different environments.
22 Because nectar and bright colours attract insects, which help to carry pollen from
flower to flower and plant to plant.
23 Because kangaroos provide a lot of care to their young, so they can’t look after
many babies at once.
24 Parthenogenesis: when an unfertilised gamete becomes a new individual.
25 Various answers, e.g. it can be useful if a species is rare, because there are not many
individuals around to mate.

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Answers to coursebook questions Chapter 6

26 Different environments influence the appearance of the trees, e.g. type of soil and
amount of sunlight.
27 Various answers, e.g. religious beliefs.
28 a 4
b 64
c 4096
d 5 × 1086 (5 followed by 86 zeroes)
29 Producing a very large number of offspring increases the chances that at least one
will survive.
30 If the insects die, they cannot pollinate the plants, so the plants can’t produce seeds.

Unit 6.2 Human reproductive systems

1 a = prostate; b = urethra; c = seminiferous tubules; d = testis; e = scrotum
2 Locating the testes outside the body maximises sperm production by keeping the
testes cool.
3 Semen consists of sperm and fluid.
4 Prostate, seminal vesicle, Cowper’s glands
5 a = oviduct (fallopian tube); b = ovary; c = uterus; d = cervix; e = vagina
6 About 500 000 are present at birth; a few hundred become fully formed.
7 Hormones regulate the menstrual cycle.
8 The blastocyst produces a hormone that tells the body not to menstruate.
9 The lining consists of blood, mucus and cell debris.
10 Menopause usually occurs between 40 and 50 years of age.
11 The egg is fertilised in the oviduct.
12 Puberty is the time of reproductive maturity.
13 Males: deeper voice and increased body hair; females: growth of breasts and hips;
beginning of menstruation
14 a Male = testosterone; female = oestrogen
b Testosterone: stimulates growth of genitals and secondary sexual characteristics.
Oestrogen: causes eggs to mature and lining of uterus to thicken, and causes
secondary sexual features to develop.
15 The first period is known as menarche.
16 Males constantly produce new gametes, but females’ eggs age with them.
17 It indicates that some body fat is needed for puberty to occur normally.
18 Every time an egg ripens, a scar is left by the follicle.
19 a About 125 cm
b About 140 cm
c Girls = 11 to 15 years; boys = 13 to 17 years
d Various answers

Unit 6.3 From gamete to birth

1 Copulation is sexual intercourse.
2 Millions of sperm are released.
3 One sperm penetrates the egg.

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Answers to coursebook questions Chapter 6

4 Twins can be identical (produced by the splitting of the zygote) or fraternal

(produced when two eggs are fertilised).
5 Various answers, e.g. condoms reduce risk of STDs but also reduce sensation.
6 Zygote: two gametes fused; morula: clump of 80 cells; blastocyst: fluid-filled ball
7 From implantation to about 8 weeks
8 The foetus is protected by the amniotic fluid.
9 The foetus’s lungs don’t work until after birth.
10 Sometimes the head is squeezed on the way out. If the bones of the skull aren’t
fused, the head is more malleable.
11 This is when amniotic fluid rushes out.
12 Various answers, e.g. drugs, infections, stress, poor nutrition
13 Ultrasound, amniocentesis, blood tests and CVS
14 Folate helps prevent neural tube defects.
15 Poor circulation results in the foetus getting a poor supply of nutrients, which
prevents it from developing well.
16 Crying means the baby’s lungs are clear of fluid.
17 Toxoplasmosis can cause damage to the eyes and nervous system.
18 Overly strenuous exercise could increase her blood pressure too much.
19 Diagrammatic answer required.
20 a Seminal duct
b Because sometimes sperm still get through.
21 Various answers, e.g. home birth is more familiar and relaxing, hospital birth has the
benefits of technology if things go wrong.
22 A miscarriage would occur.
23 Various answers
24 Various answers

Unit 6.4 Reproductive problems

1 Sexual contact is anything involving genital contact.
2 Abstinence or condoms and spermicide can provide protection.
3 It is spread through sexual contact, and is treated by antibiotics.
4 Infection, radiation, other causes
5 Asymptomatic means there are no outward signs of disease.
6 A chancre is an open, painless sore.
7 Because multiple embryos are implanted to maximise chance of success.
8 Because human females aren’t designed to carry more than one foetus at a time.
9 The baby may come into contact with an open sore on its way out.
10 Problems are more likely in older reproductive systems.
11 The prostate is commonly affected by cancer.
12 The breasts and cervix are commonly affected by cancer.
13 Some diseases can be asymptomatic, so it is best to have a doctor check.
14 Time is needed for the woman’s cycle, and for the growth and development of an
embryo, as well as the stages of IVF, such as egg production, stimulation,
harvesting, fertilisation and implantation.
15 Eat well, take folate supplements, don’t drink alcohol, don’t smoke, don’t take drugs
16 Various answers

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Answers to coursebook questions Chapter 6

17 Egg production, stimulation, harvesting, fertilisation and implantation

18 Some types of contraception do not prevent STDs. There may be more education
and information available about contraception than about STDs.
19 Contraception controls over-population and prevents unwanted pregnancies.

Chapter 6 review
1 Fission, e.g. bacteria. Budding, e.g. yeast. Spores, e.g. fungi. Fragmentation and
regeneration, e.g. starfish
2 Gametes, fertilisation, zygote, implantation, embryo, foetus
3 a Amniotic membrane
b Amniotic fluid
c Placenta
d Umbilical cord
e Foetus
4 Asexual
5 280 days, approximately 9 months
6 In the oviduct
7 About 5° below normal body temperature.
8 E.g. little variation, so the species has great success in a constant environment.
9 The foetus is protected.
10 a Cervix
c Testes
d Sperm
e Epididymis
f Semen
g Ovulation
h Uterus
i Ovum
j Seminal fluid
k Vagina
l Oviduct
m Urethra
n Scrotum
o Ovary
11 Various, e.g. deepens voice
12 In fission, the parent cell divides into two halves. In budding, the parent cell divides
but the new cell is much smaller than the parent cell. Spores are reproductive cells
that are released and grow into new organisms. Fragmentation occurs when a piece
that breaks off the parent grows into a new individual.
13 Various, e.g. condoms prevent semen entering the vagina.
14 Various, e.g. drinking alcohol in pregnancy, smoking, poor nutrition.
15 Avoid contact with any open sore on another person.
16 Implant fewer embryos.

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Answers to coursebook questions Chapter 6

17 a Diagrammatic answer required.

b

Flower part Function

Anther Production of male sex cell (pollen)
Ovary Production of female sex cell (ovule)
Pollen Male sex cell
Ovule Female sex cell
Stigma Male sex cells deposited here

c Pollination: when pollen (male sex cells) is deposited into the stigma (female sex
cells)
18 Various answers
19 Various answers
20 A mutation that improves an organism may make that organism (and those like it)
more likely to survive to pass on the improvement to future generations.
21

Flower part Human part Comparable function

Anther Testes Production of male sex cells
Ovary Ovary Production of female sex cells
Pollen Sperm Male sex cell
Ovule Ovum Female sex cell
Stigma Vagina Male sex cells deposited here

22 Asexual reproduction requires one parent only and results in genetically identical
offspring. Sexual reproduction requires two parents and results in genetically
different offspring.
23 a Growth: increases the number of cells.
b Repair: replaces dead or damaged cells.
c Reproduction: produces specialised sex cells (sperm, ova).

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This page from the Science Focus 3 Teacher’s Resource may be photocopied for classroom use.