Sexual reproduction is the process of joining the haploid gametes (sex cells) to form a diploid

cell called a zygote.

A zygote, eventually becomes an embryo and later on develop into an organism.
The female gamete is an egg cell, is usually non-motile, to ensure survival of the embryo by
storing energy.
The male gamete is a sperm cell, which is motile to search for the egg cell for fertilization.
Living things - can perpetuate their species through reproduction
Hormones - play a big role in human and animal reproduction.

The following are the different methods of asexual reproduction:

1. Budding- occurs when individuals arise throughout the outgrowths from a parent. This can
create a colony of individuals attached to a parent, such as in corals.
2. Fission- is the separation/division of an organism to form individuals of approximately
same
size. This is usually observed in animal-like protists.
3. Fragmentation and Regeneration- fragmentation is when an animal’s body breaks into
different parts, which later regenerate to form several individuals. Sponges, annelids,
cnidarians and tunicates are examples of this mode of reproduction.
4. Parthenogenesis- also known as “virgin beginning” is like apomixes in plants, where the
egg cell develops without fertilization. This is exhibited by bees, wasps, lizards, sharks.

Reproduction - living things can perpetuate their species.

Reproduction - is the process that supports the
perpetuation of a species

sexual reproduction - involves the union of gametes.

sexual reproduction - is disadvantageous in terms of energy
expenditure but is advantageous due to the genetic variation it creates.
Sexual reproduction - It allows organism to perpetuate in an unstable environment where
factors such as diseases can decrease the survival
rate of the population.
Sexual reproduction - produces new individuals through the union of sex cells

There are two types of fertilization – internal and external.

Internal fertilization - occurs when the fusion of gametes is inside the female body.
external fertilization - is the opposite where fusion of gametes is outside the female body.

Oviparity – the female has fertilized eggs laid outside its body. The young will get
nourishment from its yolk and will be protected by the external covering of the egg.
Viviparity – most common in mammals, the offspring develops within the female and is
nourished by the mother’s blood in the placenta.
Ovoviviparity – like oviparity, ovoviviparity has fertilized eggs that nourish the young from
its yolk. ovoviviparous animals only lay the eggs when they are ready to hatch.

The nucleus of each cell contains

chromosomes, or long noodle like strands made up of a
material called DNA.

Each DNA, in turn, is made up of three parts: five carbon sugar, base with nitrogen, and
phosphate.

Information transfer - the process by which cells create the proteins that an organism needs
to live and grow.
Proteins - are made up of amino acids, or special organic
molecules that consist of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.

Protein synthesis - is the process in which cells make proteins.

It occurs in two stages:

transcription and translation. In eukaryotic cells, transcription takes place in the nucleus.
During transcription, DNA is used as a template to make a molecule of messenger RNA.

Steps of Transcription
1. Initiation - is the beginning of transcription. It occurs when the enzyme RNA polymerase
binds to a region of a gene called the promoter. This signals the DNA to unwind so the
enzyme can “read” the bases in one of the DNA strands. The enzyme is ready to make a
strand of mRNA with a complementary sequence of bases.
2. Elongation - is the addition of nucleotides to the mRNA strand.
3. Termination - is the ending of transcription. The mRNA strand is complete, and it detaches
from DNA.

Translation - It is the process in which the genetic code in mRNA is read to make a protein.