Sexual Reproduction
Sexual reproduction
- Sexual reproduction is a process involving the fusion of the nuclei of two gametes (sex cells) to form a zygote (fertilised egg cell) and the production of offspring that are genetically different from each other and from the parents
- The gametes of animals are the sperm cells and egg cells
- The gametes of flowering plants are the pollen cells and egg cells
- Gametes contain one set of chromosomes from one parent (instead of two)
- Gametes are formed through the process of meiosis
- Fertilisation is defined as the fusion of gamete nuclei, and as each gamete comes from a different parent, there is a new combination of chromosomes in the zygote
- This produces variation in the offspring
Asexual reproduction
- Asexual reproduction does not involve gametes or fertilisation
- Only one parent is required so there is no fusion of gametes and no mixing of genetic information
- As a result, the offspring are genetically identical to the parent and to each other (clones)
- Asexual reproduction is defined as a process resulting in genetically identical offspring from one parent
- Only mitosis is involved in asexual reproduction
