Handout in Science VII
Zamboanga Del Sur National high school
Prepared by: Matthew T. Sabasales
Reproduction
Reproduction is a biological process that occurs in all living organisms that would result into a formation of
an offspring.
Importance of reproduction:
Reproduction is important for the survival of all living organisms.
Reproduction is also important in maintaining continuity of organisms. Without a
mechanism for reproduction, life would come to an end.
There are two types of reproduction, sexual and asexual reproduction.
1. Sexual Reproduction – process in which 2 parents contribute genes (via sperm and egg) to form a
new individual. The resulting individual will be a combination of the male and female parents. This
combination of genes creates an entirely unique individual unlike any other.
Sexual Reproduction – Requires two sex cells – egg and sperm The egg and sperm join to form an
entirely new organism (called a zygote) Different from the parent organism Offspring has half of the Mother’s
DNA and half of
the Father’s DNA
Fertilization: This happens when male and female sex cells are physically joined together.
Fertilization that happens inside a female’s body is called the internal fertilization while Fertilization that
happens outside a female’s body is called the external fertilization
Organisms that reproduce sexually are human beings, mammals, reptiles, fish, birds, insects and
some flowering plants.
Benefits of Sexual Reproduction
Genetic differences help a species survive adverse conditions like disease and environmental changes.
If individuals have variation, some of them may have a gene that helps them survive when others do
not.
Downsides of Sexual Reproduction
Sexual Reproduction requires two individuals: It takes valuable time and energy to find or compete for
a mate
Sexual reproduction takes a while – depending on the size of the organism it can take a long period of
time for the offspring to grow enough to be born. Ex: for humans it takes 266 days to reach full term
and elephants take 624 days. (This is called a gestation period)
Offspring of sexually reproducing organisms usually require time for care from the parents after birth
as well. There is time needed between litters.
Organisms that reproduce sexually usually have offspring that develop inside the mother. This limits
the amount of offspring one can have at a time.
2. Asexual Reproduction – reproduction involving only one parent organism. The offspring created
through asexual reproduction have the exact same genetic material as the parent; the offspring is a
CLONE of its parent.
Benefits of Asexual Reproduction
There is no energy or time required to find a mate.
The production of offspring is usually external so the parent can have LOTS of offspring in a very short
amount of time.
There is no parental care required; since the offspring are copies of the parent there is no “baby” stage
Downsides of Asexual Reproduction
Offspring of asexually reproducing organisms are identical to their parents. All members of the species
are identical to one another. If a disease or change in environment occurs, all individuals will be
affected.
Types of Asexual Reproduction:
a. Binary fission - one single cell copies itself and splits in two, creating a new individual. **This is how
BACTERIA reproduce**
b. Budding- an offspring grows out of the body of the parent and then breaks off. **The offspring
organism is smaller than the parent. The buds grow into fully matured individuals which eventually
break away from the parent organism.** Hydra, tapeworm and yeast cells reproduce through Budding
c. Vegetative Reproduction- process by which new plant "individuals" arise or are obtained without
production of seeds or spores ***Examples are the runners of strawberries, the tubers of potatoes, and
the bulbs of onions***.
d. Regeneration or Rejuvenation- if a piece of a parent is detached, it can grow and develop into a
completely new individual. **This is how STARFISH reproduce**
e. Spore Formation (Sporation)- Mature spore are black in colour and produced and stored in the
sporangium. Spores will released when the sporangium bursts. The tiny and lightweight spores are
blown by wind to other places. When a spore is transported to a place with favorable growing
conditions, it will germinate to form new growths. ***Examples of organisms that perform spore
formation are Rhizopus (bread mould), mosses, mushrooms and ferns***.
Human Reproductive System:
THE MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
a. The testes are each hung outside the body in a sac called the scrotum.
b. The function of the testes is to produce the male gametes or sperms.
c. The testes are located outside the body in the scrotum because sperms cannot form at human body
temperature.
d. The sperms move out from the testes in the sperm ducts.
e. The prostate gland produces a milky fluid that protects the sperms.
f. The mixture of sperms and the secretion of the prostate gland is called semen.
g. The urethra is a tube that allows sperm to move from the sperm duct to the penis. The urethra is also
the tube that allows urine stored in the urinary bladder to flow out of the body.
h. The function of the penis is to transfer sperms into the female reproductive organ.
Organ Structure Function
testis (plural: Testes) An oval-shaped organ located 1. produces sperms.
the scrotum. 2. Produces male sex hormones, such as
androgen and testosterone.
Epididymis A coiled tube within the 1. stores sperms (until they are natured) before
scrotum. they enter the sperm duct.
sperm duct Connects and directs sperm 1. transports sperm from the testes to the urethra
from testes to seminal vesicles.
seminal vesicle A pair of glands located at the 1. secretes a mucous-like liquid into the sperm
urinary bladder. duct.
2. this liquid is rich in sugar, which provides
energy for the sperm cells.
3. the mixture of semi liquid and sperm is called
semen.
urethra A fine tube that connects the 1. acts as excretory tube to discharge urine and
urinary bladder to the penis. sperm out of the male’s body.
2. ejaculates semen through the penis.
penis Cylindrical-shape organ which 1. sends semen directly from the male body to the
has erectile tissue. female reproductive system during sexual
intercourse.
scrotum Sac which protects and 1. locates the testes outside the body.
supports the testes. 2. maintains the temperature of the testis at 34 0
C which is lower than normal human body
temperature of 37 0 C
prostate gland Muscular gland and located 1. secretes thinner alkaline liquid and vitamin E
below the urinary bladder and derivative into the semen.
surrounds the top portion of 2. this helps sperm move and survive.
the urethra.
The role of sperm in reproduction
1. A sperm is a male sex cell.
2. A sperm measures about 0.06 mm which makes it’s the smallest cell in a man’s body.
3. It cannot be seen by naked eye. Under a microscope, sperm look like tadpoles.
4. A sperm cell is need to fertilize a woman’s egg (called the ova) to produce an offspring.
5. A sperm is made up of three parts:
a. the head – contains genetic material (nucleus)
b. midpiece – is the motor of the sperm (middle region)
c. tail – enables the sperm to move.
THE FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
a. The sexual organs of the human female reproductive system are the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, the
uterus and the vagina.
b. The function of the ovaries is to produce egg cells or ova.
c. An ovum is released by either of the ovaries about every 28 days.
d. The ovum moves out from the ovary into the fallopian tube or oviduct.
e. The fallopian tubes connect the ovaries to the uterus. The uterus is also known as the womb.
f. The uterus is the place where the fetus develops during pregnancy. It has a thick wall which is
supplied with many blood vessels.
g. The wall of the uterus is the place where an embryo is implanted. The development of embryo is
completed in the uterus.
h. The cervix is the neck of the uterus. The wall of the cervix secretes cervical mucus to protect the
reproductive parts against bacterial infection. The cervix opens into the vagina.
i. The function of the vagina is to receive sperms. It also serves as birth canal during childbirth through
which the baby comes out of the mother’s body.
The role of an ovum in reproduction
1. A normal woman has a pair of ovaries in her abdominal region.
2. The ovaries are able to produce female gametes called the ova.
3. An ovum is spherical structure surrounded by a layer of jelly coating. It consists of a nucleus filled
with chromosomes and cytoplasm containing stored food.
4. An ovum is larger than a sperm, with a diameter of about 0.1 mm. Unlike the sperm, it cannot move
by itself.
5. Only one ovum is released from the ovary during a particular period of time.
6. Ovum will be released from the ovary of a woman who has reached puberty at about 12 years old. The
ovaries will stop producing ova when a woman is about 55 years old or when she reaches menopause.
7. The ovum is the largest cell in the female body because it contains dense cytoplasm to provide food to
the embryo at the early stage of its development.
8. An ovum that is not fertilized by a sperm can only survive for 36 hours in the human uterus. After this
period, the ovum will die and is discharged from the human body through Menstrual Cycle.
THE SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM OF FLOWERING PLANTS.
The parts and function of a flower are as follows:
sepal - protects the flower at the bud stage.
petals - attracts insects for pollination.
stamen - the male reproductive organ.
filament - holds the anther
anther - produces pollen
pollen grains - contain male gametes/male reproductive cell.
pistil - the female reproductive organ
stigma - receives pollen grains x. ovary - produces ovules
ovule - contains the female gamete/female reproductive cell.
The functions of the male and female reproductive parts of a flower in sexual reproduction.
The stamen and the pistil are the most important parts of a flower because they produce the gametes
for sexual reproduction.
The function of the anther of a stamen is produce pollen grains.
The pollen grains contain male gametes.
The function of filament is to hold the anther to a position so that pollen grains can be released
effectively to supplies the anther with nutrients and water
The stigma serves as a receptive surface for pollen grains. It has a sticky surface so as to enable pollen
grains to stick to it more easily.
The ovary produces ovules. The ovules contain egg cells or female gametes.
POLLINATION - The transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma is known as pollination. The plant
resulting from cross-pollination is of better quality than the plant germinated from a seed from self-
pollination, inherits the good characteristics of both parent plants compared with the plant from self-
pollination which only possesses the qualities of only one parent plant.
Agents of pollination
1. Several types of pollinating agents such as water, wind or animal.
2. Aquatic plants like Hydrilla release pollen grains into the water to be floated to the stigma of another
flower.
3. Plant that are pollinated by wind have an elongated style which hangs out of the petals and is light.
Types of Pollination
a. self-pollination pollen grains are transferred from one anther to the stigma of the same flower or
another flower of the same plant
b. cross-pollination pollen grains are transferred from one anther to the stigma of the same flower or
another flower of the same species.(different plant)