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PinkMonkey Online Study Guide-Biology
CHAPTER 24 : REPRODUCTION
24.0 Introduction
Organisms have a varied life span varying from a few hours
to many years. Each organism undergoes a life-cycle from the time
of its formation, either from one or two parents, until its death.
Reproduction is a characteristic of all living forms that results
in the continuity of life from one generation to another. Reproduction
is not only a means of continuity for the species, it is also a
process concerned with maintenance of the species.
There are two main types of reproduction:
(1) Asexual reproduction is a rapid method, involves
a single parent and is a characteristic of some plants and simple animals.
The offsprings have identical inherit characteristics from the parent.
(2) Sexual reproduction is a slower method, involving
two parents, and the offsprings share hereditary characteristics of both
parents. The reproduction involves the fusion of nuclei of specialized
sex cells called gametes (sperm and egg), leading to the formation of
zygote or fertilized egg.
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