REPRODUCTION IN ANIMALS
1. Explain the importance of reproduction in organisms.
Answer:
Reproduction is a vital phenomenon on this planet earth which is essential for
the existence and continuity of life and species on it, generation after
generation.
2. Describe the process of fertilisation in human beings.
Answer:
In the process of fertilisation, sperms come in contact with an ova (egg). One of
the sperms may fuse with the egg. The nuclei of the sperm and the egg fuse to
form a single nucleus resulting in the formation of a fertilised egg called zygote.
In human being, the fertilisation takes place inside the female body, known as
internal fertilisation.
3. Give two differences between a zygote and a foetus.
Answer:
Zygote Foetus
(i) It is a single celled, i.e., it contains only one
(i) It is multicelled, i.e., it contains many cells
cell.
(ii) It is formed by the fusion of male gamete or (ii) It is formed by the repeated division of the
sperm and female gamete or ova (egg). zygote.
4. Define asexual reproduction. Name two methods of asexual reproduction
in animals.
Answer: The mode of reproduction in which only a single parent is involved is
called asexual reproduction. In this type of reproduction, sex cells gametes) are
not produced and no fusion of gametes takes place for the reproduction of
zygote or offsprings. Asexual reproduction takes place in Amoeba, Hydra,
yeast, starfish, sponges, etc.
There are mainly two methods of asexual reproduction:
(i) Binary fission (ii) Budding
5. What is metamorphosis? Give examples.
Answer: The transformation of larva into an adult involving sudden and abrupt
changes in the body of an animal during the life cycle of an invertebrate or
amphibian is called metamorphosis. Example, frog and butterfly.
6. Explain the importance of reproduction in organisms.
Answer:
Reproduction is a vital phenomenon on this planet earth which is essential for
existence and continuity of life and species on it, generation after generation.
7. Differentiate between internal fertilisation and external fertilisation.
Answer:
Internal Fertilisation External Fertilisation
(i) The fusion of male gamete or sperm and (i) The fusion of male gamete and
female gamete or ova occurs inside the body female gamete takes place outside the
of a female partner, such as human beings, body of a female partner, such as in
birds, and mammal. frog, fish and starfish.
(ii) The female partner lays either fertilised (ii) The female partner discharges
eggs or a fully grown young one. unfertilised eggs.
(iii) Offsprings have a high chance of (iii) Offsprings have a low chance of
survival. survival.
8. Explain how external fertilisation takes place in frogs.
Answer:
During the rainy season, frogs and toads move to ponds. When the male and
female come together in water, the female lays hundreds of eggs. A layer of
jelly holds the eggs together. The male deposits the sperm over them and
fertilisation takes place.
9. How is an embryo developed?
Answer:
Fertilization results in the formation of a zygote. The zygote divides repeatedly
to give rise to a ball of cells which then begin to form groups that develop into
different tissues and organs of the body. This developing structure is called an
embryo. It gets embedded in the wall of the uterus for further development.
10. What is budding? Explain.
Answer:
Budding is a type of asexual reproduction in which an organism or new
individual develops from an outgrowth of a single parent. This outgrowth is
called bud. On maturation, this bud gets separated from the parent’s body to
grow into a new individual. This process of reproduction is known as budding.
For example, Hydra, yeast, and sponges produce their young ones through the
process of budding. In some organisms, like sponges, buds are not separated
from their parent’s body and form a colony. They remain attached to their
parent’s body.
11. Explain in brief the process of binary fission.
Answer:
Amoeba reproduces through the process of binary fission. Binary fission is
another method of asexual reproduction. Amoeba is a single-celled organism.
It begins the process of reproduction by the division of its nucleus into two
nuclei followed by the division of its body into two, each part receiving a
nucleus. Finally, two daughter cells are produced from one parent Amoeba.
This type of asexual reproduction in which an animal reproduces by dividing
into two individuals is known as binary fission.