Reproduction Flashcards
How can you tell if an organism is living or not?
Test the organism for certain characteristics.
What is the generation of new individuals called?
Reproduction.
What are the 4 characteristics of asexual reproduction?
- involves only one parent organism
- all the characteristics of this one parent are passed on to all the offspring
- asexual reproduction produces genetically identical offspring from one parent
- many organisms reproduce asexually when conditions are favourable and build up their members quickly.
What are 5 characteristics of sexual reproduction?
- requires two organisms of the same species, one male and one female
- each individual produces sex cells (gametes)
- sexual reproduction always involves fertilisation
- offspring receives some genes from each parent, so shows a mixture of parental characteristics
- each of the offspring is different to other offspring and to the parents
What is the definition of fertilisation?
The fusion of gametes to produce a zygote.
What does sexual reproduction provide?
Variation
Why can asexual reproduction be advantageous?
- when a single plant arrives in a new habitat it can occupy this habitat if many copies can be produced quickly
- when a plant is well suited to it’s habitat, any variation might be a disadvantage
What are two advantages of asexual reproduction?
- Only one parent needed
2. Rapid colonialisation of favourable environments
What is one disadvantage of asexual reproduction?
No variation, so any change in the environmental conditions will affect all individuals.
What is one advantage of sexual reproduction?
Variation, so new features of organisms may allow adaptation to new environments
What are two disadvantages of sexual reproduction?
- Two parents needed
* Fertilisation is random, so harmful variations can occur
