You must know this! Identify chromosomes as cellular structures that occur in pairs that carry hereditary information in units called genes. You must know this! Recognize that when sexual reproduction occurs, genetic material from both parents is passed on and combined to form the genetic code for the new organism. You must know this! Recognize that when sexual reproduction occurs, the offspring is not identical to either parent due to the combining of the different genetic codes contained in each sex cell. You must know this! Compare and contrast the reproductive mechanisms of classes of vertebrates (i.e., internal vs. external fertilization). Human development video You must know this! Explain how flowering plants reproduce sexually. There are several ways animals can produce offspring. The two main methods of reproduction are sexual and asexual. Sexual reproduction requires two parents who donate genes to the young, resulting in offspring with a mix of inherited genes. In asexual reproduction, only one parent is needed, resulting in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent -- clones. You must know this! Recognize that when asexual reproduction occurs, the same genetic information found in the parent cell is copied and passed on to each new daughter cell Recognize that when asexual reproduction occurs, the daughter cell is identical to the parent cell Mitosis vs. Meiosis video WHY??? Why would organisms prefer asexual reproduction in stable conditions and sexual reproduction in more uncertain or less favorable conditions? Imagine that a particular organism lacks a certain gene necessary to break down a specific type of food, yet others of the same species within the population are able to break down that food. What happens if the uncertain or less favorable conditions lead to that being the primary food source? Death… The parent organism and all of their offspring produced through asexual reproduction would die! The chances that a particular organism will inherit the gene necessary to break down a specific type of food is much greater through sexual reproduction rather than through asexual reproduction! You must know this! Identify examples of asexual reproduction (i.e., plants budding, binary fission of single cell organisms). Examples of asexual reproduction Mitosis The exact duplication of the nucleus of a cell so as to form two identical nuclei during cell division. Clones! Examples of asexual reproduction Binary Fission Binary fission is very similar to mitosis; however, there is no division of a nucleus within binary fission. Examples of asexual reproduction Budding The division of cytoplasm is unequal so one of the daughter cells is larger than the other. The daughter cells can separate or remain attached. Yeast reproduces like this! Examples of asexual reproduction Sporulation Occurs in molds, mosses, etc. Spores are produced in large numbers by mitosis. Spores are surrounded by a tough coat to help them survive harsh environmental conditions. Examples of asexual reproduction Regeneration Refers to the replacement or regrowth of lost or damaged body parts Regeneration and Stem Cells in Deer videos Examples of asexual reproduction Vegetative Propagation Occurs only in plants. New plants develop from the roots, stems, or leaves of the parent plant. Potato “eyes”, strawberries, and Poison Ivy are good examples. You must know this! Compare and contrast the processes of asexual and sexual reproduction, including the type and number of cells involved (one body cell in asexual, two cells in sexual), and the number of gene sets (body cells has two sets, sex cells have one set) passed from parent(s) to offspring.