Types of Sexual Reproduction

One of the requirements for all living things is reproduction. In order to carry on
the species and pass genetic traits down from one generation to the next,
reproduction must happen. Without reproduction, a species could go extinct.

There are two main ways individuals can reproduce. These are asexual
reproduction, which only requires one parent, and sexual reproduction, which is
a process that needs gametes (or sex cells) from a male and a female made by the
process of meiosis in order to occur. Both have advantages and disadvantages,
but in the terms of evolution, sexual reproduction seems to be a better bet.

Sexual reproduction involves the coming together of the genetics from two
different parents and hopefully producing a more "fit" offspring that will be able
to withstand changes in the environment if necessary. Natural selection decides
which adaptations are favorable and those genes will then get passed down to the
next generation. Sexual reproduction increases the diversity within a population
and gives natural selection more to choose from to decide which is the best suited
for that environment.

There are different ways individuals can undergo sexual reproduction. The
species' preferred way to reproduce is often determined by what environment a
population lives in.

01
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Autogamy

Getty/Ed Reschke

The prefix "auto" means "self". An individual that can undergo autogamy can
fertilize itself. Known as hermaphrodites, these individuals have fully functioning
male and female reproductive system parts necessary to make both the male and
female gamete for that individual. They do not need a partner to reproduce, but
some may still be able to reproduce with a partner if the opportunity arises.

Since both gametes come from the same individual in autogamy, the mixing of
the genetics like other types of sexual reproduction does not happen. The genes
all come from the same individual so the offspring will still show traits of that
individual. However, they are not considered clones because the combination of
the two gametes does give the offspring a slightly different genetic makeup than
what the parent shows.
Some examples of organisms that can undergo autogamy include most plants and
earthworms.

02
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Allogamy

Getty/Oliver Cleve

In allogamy, the female gamete (usually called an egg or ovum) comes from one
individual and the male gamete (usually called the sperm) comes from a different
individual. The gametes then fuse together during fertilization to create the
zygote. The ovum and the sperm are haploid cells. This means they each have half
the number of chromosomes that are found in a body cell (which is called
a diploid cell). The zygote is diploid because it is a fusion of two haploids. The
zygote can then undergo mitosis and eventually form a fully functioning
individual. 

Allogamy is a true mixing of genetics from the mother and the father. Since the
mother only gives half the chromosomes and the father only gives half, the
offspring is genetically unique from either parent and even its siblings. This
unification of gametes through allogamy ensures there will be different
adaptations for natural selection to work on and, over time, the species will
evolve.

03
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Internal Fertilization

Getty/Jade Brookbank

Internal fertilization is when the male gamete and the female gamete fuse to
undergo fertilization while the ovum is still inside of the female. This usually
requires some sort of sexual intercourse to happen between a male and a female.
The sperm is deposited into the female reproductive system and the zygote is
formed inside the female.

What happens next depends on the species. Some species, like birds and some
lizards, will lay the egg and keep it incubated until it hatches. Others, like
mammals, will carry the fertilized egg inside the female body until it is viable
enough for a live birth.
External Fertilization
Getty/Alan Majchrowicz

Just as the name implies, external fertilization is when the male gamete and
female gamete fuse outside of the body. Most species that live in water and many
types of plants will undergo external fertilization. The female will lay usually
many eggs in the water and a male will come along and spray their sperm over
the top of the eggs to fertilize them. Usually, the parents do not incubate the
fertilized eggs or watch over them and the new zygotes are left to fend for
themselves.

External fertilization is usually only found in water because the fertilized eggs
need to be kept moist so they do not dry out. This gives them a better chance for
survival and they will hopefully hatch and become thriving adults that will
eventually pass down their genes to their own offspring.

Lesson Plan

Objective
SWBAT to explain how sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic
variation.

Big Idea
Students discuss the results of sexual reproduction: offspring that are
genetically different from both of their parents.

NGSS
1 MINUTE

This is lesson 2 in a 3 lesson series on reproduction. 

Lesson 1 - Asexual Reproduction

Lesson 2 - Sexual Reroduction

Lesson 3 - Investigating Reproductive Strategies

 
 The first two lessons provide the background knowledge for lesson 3, which
addresses the following:

NGSS standard:
MS-LS3-2. Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction
results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction
results in offspring with genetic variation. 

Cross Cutting Concept:

Cause and Effect
Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural
systems. 
Science and Engineering Practices:
Developing and Using Models
Develop and use a model to describe phenomena.

Engage
10 MINUTES

In this section of lesson I Engage students by showing them a video on Floral

Arrangements and discussing the following questions:

 What nonliving force do plants rely on most often for pollination?

 What are some of the ways in which plants encourage or trick animals
into carrying their pollen to other plants?
 What proportion of each parent plant's genetic material does each
offspring plant have?
Next, I show the The Red Queen, a PBS Learning video about the Mexican
Poeciliid fish and discuss the following:
 What are the differences between the two species of minnows featured
in the video?
 Which species -- the asexual or the sexual reproducers -- tends to be
more heavily parasitized by the worm that causes black-spot disease?
 How are the sexual reproducers able to evolve defenses against
parasites more quickly and more effectively than their asexual counterparts?
Explore
20 MINUTES
 Students in this section explore the The Mating Game PBS Learning media
web activity in pairs.  The objective of this activity is for students to see the
elaborate and at times costly reproductive strategies of various species. (MS-
LS3-2 Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results
in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results
in offspring with genetic variation/SP2 Developing and Using Models) 
Part 1
It is recommended that students play two rounds of the game and then
choose four of the species highlighted in the activity's Dating and Mating
Gallery. Ask students to take notes on the information provided about each
species, focusing on the reproductive similarities and differences among
them. Have pairs of students present their findings to the class while you
record the various reproductive strategies on the board.
Part 2

Ask the class to rank the reproductive strategies on the board in order of
relative difficulty, or "expense," to the animal. For example, the tube sponge's
strategy of casting out clouds of sperm or egg cells into the open water is
relatively less expensive than the bowerbird's efforts to attract a mate by
building an elaborate bower. Ask students:

 What are some of the things that animals can't do when they're focusing
so much time and energy on finding or attracting a mate?
 What proportion of each parent's genetic material would the offspring of
any of these species have?
Part 3

Ask students to consider why some species might have evolved reproductive
strategies that require a lot of energy and that allow individual organisms to
pass only half of their genes on to their offspring. Ask students what benefits
they think sexual selection might have.

Explain
10 MINUTES

In this section of lesson I show students the following video that introduces
students to sexual reproduction.  Concepts covered in the video are
 reproductive cells, internal/external fertilization, and genetic diversity of
offspring. 

Students complete the Sexual Reproduction handout after watching video.

Elaborate
10 MINUTES

In this section of lesson students elaborate on what they have learned by

reading two background essays.

1.  Background Essay Floral Arrangements

2.  Background Essay Red Queen Hypothesis
Both of these essays elaborate on the information they learned during the
engage section of the lesson.
To help students interact with texts I have students complete Writing in the
Margins.
Writing in the margins engages readers in the reading task and allows them to
document their thinking while reading. Both writing in the margins and drawing
in the margins engages students in actively thinking about the texts they read.
The power of this strategy is not the actual act of writing and drawing in the
margins; instead, it is the thinking processes that students must undergo in
order to produce such ideas. 
1.  The Writing in the Margin strategy that I have students use for Background
Essay Floral Arrangements is the Summarize strategy.  The text discusses
various pollination strategies therefore summarizing is a good way to organize
information.
Summarize
Briefly summarize paragraphs or sections of a text. Summarizing is a good
way to keep track of essential information while condensing lengthier
passages.
Summaries will...
 state what the paragraph is about
 describe what the author is doing
 account for key terms and/or ideas. 
 2.  The Writing in the Margin strategy that I have students use for Background
Essay Red Queen Hypothesis is the Clarify strategy.  The text discusses the
complex idea of the benefit of sexual reproduction therefore pausing to clarify ideas
will increase your understanding of the ideas in the text. 
Clarify
Clarify complex ideas presented in the text. Readers clarify ideas through a
process of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Pausing to clarify ideas will
increase your understanding of the ideas in the text.
In order to clarify information you might...
 define key terms.
 reread sections of the text.
 analyze or connect ideas in the text. 
paraphrase or summarize ideas. 
Evaluate
10 MINUTES

The Exit Slip requires students to develop an evidence-based argument to

answer "Why Sex?" (W.7.1 - Write arguments to support claims with clear
reasons and relevant evidence./SP7 - Engaging in Argument from Evidence)