Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Reproduction is a process by which one organism produces offsprings. It is one of the basic
processes in all known life forms. Every organism we see around us is a direct result of
reproduction.
Sexually
Asexually
Let us have a detailed look at the different modes of reproduction.
Modes Of Reproduction
Depending on the number of parents involved, there are different modes of reproduction. Every
living organism reproduces by either of the two modes i.e. sexual reproduction or asexual
reproduction.
The different modes of reproduction in animals and plants are explained below:
Sexual Reproduction
It is the mode of reproduction in which gamete cells from two organisms, one male and one
female, combine to form a singular zygote. This zygote shares half of its genetic information
with the father and the other half with the mother. Though the basics of it remain the same, there
are many different modes of sexual reproduction in both plants and animals. The newly formed
individual produced by sexual reproduction is different from parents, both genetically and
physically.
Humans reproduce sexually by the fusion of sperm with the egg (ovum) to produce a zygote
called fertilization. Fertilization is the crucial stage of sexual reproduction. Without fertilization,
sexual reproduction will not be complete.
Certain invertebrates, such as tapeworms and certain other parasites, reproduce through the
process of self-fertilization in which they fertilize their eggs with their own sperm.
Sexual reproduction in animals may happen through internal fertilization (humans, dogs) or
external fertilization (certain reptiles and birds).
Asexual Reproduction
It is the mode of reproduction which involves only one organism. The offspring that is produced
is genetically identical to the mother and almost always has the same number of
chromosomes. Hence, they are called clones. Moreover, they are exact copies of their parent cell.
Entities prefer to reproduce asexually by different means. Few asexual methods are budding (e.g.
Hydra), binary fission (e.g. Amoeba, bacteria), spore formation (e.g. ferns), fragmentation (e.g.
Planaria), and vegetative propagation (e.g. Onion).
In the natural mode of asexual reproduction, a plant can give rise to an offspring with the help of
roots. Certain plants also use budding and cutting to reproduce asexually.
Living things are wonderful. Wars, poverty, natural disasters, murders, hunting, etc., happen and
exist in the world. But it is still estimated that our earth is the home to around 8 million species.
One dies, another comes. It never ends and is a cycle of life. The secret is within us, it is
reproduction in organisms. It helps organisms to continue their species. It is a life process like
nutrition, movement, circulation, etc. Different modes of reproduction are discussed below.