Lesson 3 — Activity 2: Sexual Reproduction
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Lesson 3 — Activity 2:
Sexual Reproduction
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Sexual reproduction is the most common form of reproduction in plants and animals. It usually involves two individuals. The offspring will have a mixture of the characteristics of the parenting individuals. This allows for a variation of characteristics in each generation. In this lesson, you will learn about sexual reproduction in species.
Sexual reproduction relies on cells called gametes. A gamete is a cell with only one job and that is to join with another gamete during reproduction.
In plants, a male gamete and a female gamete join to produce a zygote and an embryo. A zygote is the first cell of a new individual. When cell division has occurred enough times to have an individual made of many cells, it is referred to as an embryo.
Most plants produce both female and male gametes, but some plants produce only one or the other.
Pollination occurs when pollen is transferred from the anther of the stamen to the stigma of the pistil. Fertilization occurs when the male and female gametes become one. The embryo eventually develope into a new plant, but usually it starts in the form of a seed.
In animals, male gametes are known as sperm cells. Female gametes are known as egg cells. The union of a sperm cell and an egg cell occurs during mating and is known as fertilization. The new individual displays some of the characteristics of each parent.
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Digging Deeper
Click on the Play button below to watch a video that further explains the terms that you just learned along with an visual explanation of sexual reproduction in flowering plants.
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