B6: Reproduction Flashcards
What is sexual reproduction?
Where genetic information from two organisms (a father and mother) is combined to produce offspring which are genetically different to either parent.
What do the mother and father produce in sexual reproduction?
Gametes (by meiosis) eg. egg and sperm cells in animals
How many chromosomes do gametes contain in humans?
23 chromosomes (half the number of a normal cell)
What do the egg and sperm cell do?
Fuse together (fertilisation) to form a cell with the full number of chromosomes.
This is why the offspring inherits features from both parents.
What does the mixture of genetic information in sexual reproduction do?
Produces variation in the offspring.
What is asexual reproduction?
There’s only one parent = offspring are genetically identical to the parent
How does asexual reproduction happen?
Mitosis
What is a clone?
The new cell has exactly the same genetic information as the parent cell.
What organisms reproduce asexually?
Bacteria, some plants and some animals.
