Reproduction In Organisms

Asexual Reproduction In Organisms

Living organisms reproduce sexually or asexually.

In sexual reproduction, a gamete from the mal parent fuses with gamete from the female
parent to form a zygote.

In asexual reproduction, the organism or the parent cell divided in two to give rise to a
morphologically and genetically identical organism called a clone.

Asexual reproduction in animals takes place through:

• Binary Fission
• Budding

In plants, asexual reproduction takes place through specialized structures called vegetative
propagules.

Vegetative propagules include:

• Eyes
• Nodes
• Buds
• Runners
• Suckers
• Offsets
• Bulbs
Introduction To Sexual Reproduction In Organisms

Sexual reproduction involves the fusion of male and female gametes, which produced either
by the same individual or by different of the opposite sex.

All organisms, for instance, go through three phases of life- the juvenile phase, the
reproductive phase and the senescence phase.

The juvenile phase is a period of growth.

In plants, the juvenile phase is known as the vegetative phase.

In the case of plants, the reproductive phase is marked by the appearance of flowers or
vegetative propagules such as runners.

During the reproductive phase, the females of all placental mammals including primates and
non-primates demonstrate cyclical changes in the activities of their ovaries and accessory
ducts as well as hormones.

The end of the reproductive phase in living organisms coincides with the beginning of the
senescent phase.

Post-Fertilisation Events

The post-fertilisation stage includes the development of the zygote and embryogenesis.

The development of the zygote is largely influenced by the environment and the lifecycle of
an organism.
The process of development of an embryo from the zygote is called embryogenesis.

During embryogenesis, the zygote starts to divide mitotically and undergoes cell
differentiation.

In oviparous animals, the process of embryogenesis takes place inside the eggs laid by these
animals.

In viviparous animals, the process of embryogenesis occurs inside the body of the female.

In plants, the development of the zygote and embryogenesis occur inside the ovule.

Sexuality and Pre-fertilisation

Sexual reproduction is divided into three distinct stages-namely, the pre-fertilisation,

fertilization and post-fertilisation stage.

Pre-fertilisation includes gametogensis and gamete transfer, events that occur prior to the
fusion of gametes.

Gametogeneis refers to the process of formation of the haploid male and female gametes.

Haploid organisms produce gametes by mitotic division.

Diploid plants possess gamete mother cells that undergo meiosis or reduction division,
forming haploid gametes.

Gametes that aren’t morphologically similar are called heterogametes.

Morphologically similar gametes are called homogametes or isogametes.

Gamete transfer is a process during which male gametes are brought in proximity with
female gametes.

Water, wind, bees and insects are some agents that bring about gamete transfer in plants.
Fertilisation

Fertilisation involves the fusion of the male and female gametes and the formation of
diploid zygote.

Fertilisation is also known as syngamy.

Parthenogensis refers to a process where the female gamete does not fuse with the male
gamete.

In external fertilization, the fusion of gametes and the formation of the zygote occur outside
the body of the organism.

In internal fertilization, the fusion of gametes and the formation of the zygote take place
inside the body of the organism.