You are here
💡 Think it over
A mango tree grows old and dies — yet mangoes keep appearing on new trees every summer. A single yeast cell becomes two, then four, then a colony. How does life keep making more of itself, generation after generation?
❓ Think It Over
- When does a farmer prefer asexual or sexual methods of reproduction for crops production?
- Why do you think most complex animals and flowering plants use sexual reproduction, while many simple organisms, like yeast and hydra mainly reproduce asexually?
In this chapter we will learn about how reproduction continues life — asexual reproduction (vegetative propagation, budding and spores) that makes genetically identical offspring; sexual reproduction in flowering plants through pollination, fertilisation, seeds and fruits; how meiosis creates variation; the many ways animals reproduce; and reproduction in human beings, from the reproductive systems and gametes to pregnancy, the menstrual cycle, and staying healthy and responsible.
Reproduction:
The biological process by which living beings produce new individuals of their own kind.
How
Two main routes — asexual (one parent) and sexual (two parents, gametes fusing).
Life
From plants and simple organisms to animals and human beings, all pass life on.
Continues
Reproduction keeps species going and, with variation, helps them adapt and evolve.
Topics We Will Study
