Reproduction

Reproduction The process by which organisms generate new individuals of the same kind is called reproduction.

Our bodies are made up of over 37 trillion cells Of those, there are two main different categories of cells in our bodies…. Sex/germ cells (sperm & egg) Somatic cells (all other body cells)

Each cell in our bodies contains genetic information called DNA that dictates many things, one of which is what we look like.

Genetic Information DNA is the genetic material that makes us who we are; what we look like, our strengths and weaknesses, our personality, etc. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a long string like material. To make all this information easier to store, the DNA is coiled into chromosomes. The chromosomes contain genes which control the growth, development & function of all the cells and processes in the body.

Each gamete contains 23 chromosomes. Gametes This is another name for the sex cells. Women’s sex cells are eggs, while men’s sex cells are sperm. Each gamete contains 23 chromosomes.

Fertilization Fertilization is what is about to happen in this picture! This is the process that occurs when the sperm and egg combine their genetic information.

Once fertilization occurs, a zygote is formed Once fertilization occurs, a zygote is formed. A zygote is simply the name of the cell that is formed when a sperm and egg combine.

A zygote has 46 chromosomes (23 from the sperm, 23 from the egg!) Each somatic cell, or body cell, has 46 chromosomes.

There are two possible sex chromosomes, X and Y. In each somatic cell, of the 46 chromosomes (or 23 pairs), two of those chromosomes (or one pair) are sex chromosomes. There are two possible sex chromosomes, X and Y.

The sex chromosomes determine if an individual is a male or a female The sex chromosomes determine if an individual is a male or a female. These chromosomes contain some of the information that codes for male or female traits, but for other traits as well. In females, their sex chromosomes are XX. In males, their sex chromosomes are XY.

Sexual Reproduction …… is creating a new living organism by combining DNA from individuals of different sexes. This causes variation! Half of the moms genetic information gets mixed with half of the dads genetic information.

Asexual Reproduction …… is the process by which offspring (babies) are made from a single organism. They inherit information only from that “parent”, which means that they are identical to the parent they were made from.