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How Life Continues
Reproduction
Living beings produce new individuals of their own kind
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Asexual or sexual
One parent (clones) or two parents (gametes fuse, with variation)
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Fertilisation
Male and female gametes fuse to form a zygote
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A new plant, animal or human develops — life continues
- Reproduction
- The biological process by which living organisms produce new individuals of the same species; it continues life and transfers genetic information.
- Asexual reproduction
- One parent; occurs by budding, spore formation and vegetative propagation in plants; offspring are genetically identical clones.
- Sexual reproduction
- Two parents contribute gametes; meiosis halves the chromosome number and creates variation.
- Flower
- The reproductive organ of a plant, with the male stamen and the female pistil.
- Pollination
- Transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma, by self- or cross-pollination.
- Fertilisation
- The pollen tube carries the male gamete to the ovule; it fuses with the egg to form a zygote; the ovule becomes the seed and the ovary the fruit.
- Male system
- The testes produce sperm; seminal vesicles and prostate add fluids and male hormones.
- Female system
- The ovaries produce eggs and hormones; ovulation occurs around day 14 of the menstrual cycle.
- Menstrual cycle
- Ovulation, uterus preparation and menstruation repeat about every 28 days from puberty to menopause.
- Pregnancy
- If fertilisation occurs, the zygote develops into an embryo; pregnancy lasts about nine months in three trimesters.
- Birth control
- Methods to prevent pregnancy include condoms, pills and IUDs such as the Copper-T.
Revise, Reflect, Refine
Work through the questions below to revise, reflect on, and refine what you learned.
