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REPRODUCTION

• reproduction is the ability of living organisms to produce a new generation of

themselves
• reproduction results in the continuation of a species thus preventing extinction
• reproduction may be sexual or asexual

Asexual reproduction in plants

• It is the process resulting in the production of genetically identical offspring

from one parent.
• Does not involve gametes or fertilization
• Some of the cells of the parent organism divide by a kind of cell division
called mitosis.

Examples of asexual reproduction

• Binary fission in bacteria
• Spore formation in fungi
• Reproduction by budding in yeast cells
• Production of potato tubers
• Production of new plants from runners

Advantages of asexual reproduction to a population of species in the wild:

➢ It is fast allowing organisms to colonise large areas quickly.
➢ Offspring are well-suited to parents’ environment, large numbers of offspring
are produced
➢ Only one parent needed hence plants grow quickly.
➢ Food is usually present in large vegetative structures: hence this gives the new
plants a better chance of survival. A rapid development of buds into
daughter plants can take place.
➢ It is an easy process as no external agents e.g. insects and wind for
pollination and fertilization are required, so plants grow more quickly.
➢ It takes less energy investment since sex structures don’t have to be
produced.
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➢ The daughter plants resemble the parent plant in all aspects. Hence it
preserves all the desirable characteristics, as these are passed on directly
without any change.
Advantages to crop production:

➢ Preserves the desirable characteristics e.g. large and attractive flowers, good
flavor, high yields, etc.
➢ Offspring’s characteristics are known
➢ Offspring are guaranteed.
➢ Some plants are only propagated asexually because they don’t produce
viable seeds e.g. bananas, sugarcane, potato, etc. Seedless varieties of fruits
are also a result of vegetative propagation.

Disadvantages of asexual reproduction to a population of species in the wild:

o No variation possible from generation to generation, so no chances of
evolution. No improvement is possible.
o Since all offspring are clones (identical), they may all be wiped out by same
pests/diseases. Hence prone to extinction.
o Lack of dispersal can lead to competition for nutrients, water, oxygen, carbon
dioxide, light and space since plants are overcrowded.
o There is very little adaptation to changing environments. A population could
be wiped out by unfavourable conditions like extreme temperatures, frost
and disease.
o undesirable characteristics are passed on to offspring
o Difficult to produce large numbers of plants that could be produced from
seeds even if this method is rapid.

Disadvantages of asexual reproduction to crop production

• Plants gradually lose their vigour as there is no genetic variation.

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SEXUAL REPRODUCTION

• Sexual reproduction is a process involving the fusion of the nuclei of two

gametes (sex cells) to form a zygote and the production of offspring that are
genetically different from each other.
• The number of chromosomes in a species is fixed and is the same in all of its
body cells e.g. human cells contain 46 chromosomes; garden pea cells
contain 14; mice contain 40, etc. The number of chromosomes in each body
cell of a plant or animal is called the diploid number. The chromosomes
always appear in pairs: hence the diploid number is always an even number.
• Two parents are needed to produce new organisms in sexual reproduction.
This involves sex cells or gametes. These are formed in the reproductive
organs.
• In animals the male gametes are sperm cells and the female gametes are
egg cells (ova). In flowering plants the male gametes are nuclei inside pollen
grains and female gametes are inside the ovules.
• Gametes) contain only half the diploid number of chromosomes. This number
is called the haploid number.
• During sexual reproduction, the nuclei of male and female gametes (haploid
cells) fuse to form a new diploid cell called a zygote. This fusion of gamete
nuclei to form a zygote is termed fertilization.

Advantages of sexual reproduction to a population of a species

➢ Brings about variation in the offspring

➢ More genetic diversity: There is good chance that at least some of the
offspring be resistant to certain diseases or adapted to certain environments:
Offspring can adapt to new environments better
➢ There are higher chances of evolution
➢ It helps natural selection to remove harmful mutations from the population
➢ In plants seeds are dispersed from one parent plant so there is less
overcrowding and less competition for resources
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Advantages of sexual reproduction to crop production

• Ability to influence offspring favorably by selective breeding.

• A disease is less likely to affect all the individuals in a population
Disadvantages of sexual reproduction
➢ Two parents are needed and fertilization is required.
➢ Growth to maturity is slow; not as rapid and efficient as other forms of
reproduction.
➢ Plant reproduction depends on external agencies for pollination and
dispersal.
➢ Offspring are not guaranteed that is, not every act of sexual reproduction is
guaranteed to produce an offspring.
➢ Lots of genetic material is wasted e.g. a lot of sperms are produced yet only
one is required to fertilise an egg.
➢ There is a chance for mutations to happen.
➢ Energy must be consumed to find a suitable mate.