SEXUAL REPRODUCTION

Fertilisation
Haploid and Diploid nuclei
Advantages and disadvantages of sexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction

 Sexual reproduction is a process involving the fusion of the nuclei of two gametes (sex cells)
to form a zygote and the production of offspring that are genetically different from each other.

 The number of chromosomes in a species is fixed and is the same in all of its body cells e.g
human cells - 46 chromosomes; garden pea cells -14; mice - 40, etc.

 The number of chromosomes in each body cell of a plant or animal is called the diploid
number.

 The chromosomes always appear in pairs: hence the diploid number is always an even number.
Sexual reproduction cont…

 Two parents are needed to produce new organisms in sexual reproduction.

 This involves sex cells or gametes formed in the reproductive organs.

 In animals, the male gametes are sperm cells, and the female gametes are egg cells
(ova).

 In flowering plants, the male gametes are nuclei inside pollen grains, and female
gametes are inside the ovules.
Sexual reproduction cont…

 The process of cell division, which produces the gametes, is called meiosis.

 It results in cells (gametes) containing only half the diploid number of chromosomes.
This number is called the haploid number.

 Meiosis takes place only in reproductive organs. In this process, only one chromosome
of each pair goes into the gametes.

 (Otherwise, the chromosome number would double each time an organism reproduced
sexually).
Sexual reproduction cont…

 During sexual reproduction, the nuclei of male and female gametes

(haploid cells) fuse to form a new diploid cell called a zygote.

 This fusion of gamete nuclei to form a zygote is termed

fertilisation.

 The zygote contains chromosomes from both parents and hence can
have any combination of their genes.
Advantages of sexual reproduction to a population of a species in the wild
 

 It brings about variation in the offspring

 The species can adapt to new environments due to variation, which gives

them a survival advantage

 As variation is the driving force of evolution, evolution occurs

efficiently.

 A negative mutation takes longer to inflict a significant effect on a

population or may never be passed on to the next generation.
Advantages of sexual reproduction to a population of a
species in the wild cont…
 

It helps natural selection to remove harmful mutations from the

population
In plants, seeds are dispersed from one parent plant, so there is less
overcrowding and less competition for resources
A disease or change in environment is less likely to affect all the
individuals in a population

 
Disadvantages of sexual reproduction

 Two parents are needed, and fertilisation is required; difficult for isolated
members of the species to reproduce.

 Growth to maturity is slow, not as rapid and efficient as other forms of

reproduction.

 Plant reproduction depends on external agents for pollination and dispersal.

 Offspring are not guaranteed; that is, not every act of sexual reproduction is
guaranteed to produce offspring.
Disadvantages of sexual reproduction

 Lots of genetic material is wasted, e.g many sperms are

produced, yet only one must fertilise an egg.

 There is a chance that mutations may happen.

 It takes time and energy to find suitable mates.

 
Advantages and disadvantages of sexual reproduction to
crop production

Advs: Ability to influence offspring favourably by selective breeding

• A disease or change in environment is less likely to affect all the
individuals in a population
• Most crop plants reproduce sexually and this is an advantage as it
means variation is increased and a genetic variant may be produced
which is better able to cope with weather changes, or produces
significantly higher yield
• The disadvantage is that the variation may lead to offspring that are less
successful than the parent plant at growing well or producing a good
harvest