SEXUAL REPRODUCTION

IN ANIMALS, HUMANS
AND PLANTS
 SEXUAL REPRODUCTION IN
ANIMALS
• Sexual reproduction is the production of a new organism from two
parents by making use of their sex cells or gametes. In this process
male gametes fuses with a female gamete to form a new cell called
‘zygote’. This zygote then grows and develops in to a new organism in
due course of time. Sometimes sex cells or gametes are also called as
germ cells. The humans, fish, frogs, cats, dogs etc. all reproduce by
the method of sexual reproduction.
• An animal having male sex cells called ‘sperms’ in its body is called
male and an animal having female sex cells called ‘ova’ or ‘eggs’ in its
body is called female.
• Gametes: The cells involved in sexual reproduction or we can say that they are
sexual reproductive cells. They are of two types: male gametes and female
gametes. The male gamete in animal is called ‘sperm’ and the female gamete
in animals is called ‘ovum’ or ‘egg’. Also female gamete or female sex cell is
known by two names: ovum and egg both are same. The plural of ovum is ova.
The ovum or egg contains water and stored food. Nucleus is the important part
of ovum. Sperm cells are hundreds or thousands time smaller than ovum or egg
and have a long tail. The sperm are motile which can move independently with
the help of their tails.
• Fertilization: The fusion of a male gamete with a female gamete to
form a zygote during the sexual reproduction i.e. the fusion of a sperm
with an ovum or egg to form zygote is called fertilization. The zygote
is also known as ‘fertilized egg’ or ‘fertilized ovum’. This zygote
grows and develops to form a new baby. The stage of development
between the zygote or fertilized egg and the newly formed baby is
called embryo.
• Internal and external fertilization: The fertilization which occurs
inside the female body is called internal fertilization i.e. it takes place
in mammals including human beings, birds and reptiles. The
fertilization which occurs outside the female body is called external
fertilization i.e. it takes place in amphibians like frogs, toads and
fishes.
• The method in which a zygote grows and develops in to a full
organism also varies in different animals. As in humans zygote grows
and develops in to a baby inside female body and gives birth to a
young ones, in animals like cats, dogs etc also gives birth to young
ones but in birds it is entirely different which lay eggs. For example:
Hen sits on its egg to give warmth so that zygote grows and develops
to form a complete chick. This chick then comes out from egg by
breaking its shell. So, all the organisms do not give birth to
individuals like humans do.
• Gametes are also known as reproductive cells which contains only
half the amount of DNA or half number of chromosomes as compared
to the normal body cells of an organism. So, when male gamete
combines with female gamete during sexual reproduction, then the
new cell ‘zygote’ will have the normal amount of DNA. Human sperm
has 23 chromosomes and human egg has also 23 chromosomes, after
fusion 23 + 23 = 46 chromosomes, which is the normal number of
chromosomes.
How Sexual reproduction in Animals takes
place?
• Sperms or male gametes are produced by male parent and sperm
contains long tail i.e. flagellum for movement.
• Ova, eggs or female gametes are produced by female parent which is a
bigger cell than the sperm having a lot of cytoplasm.
• The sperm enters in to the ovum or egg and fuses to form a new cell
called ‘zygote’. This process is known as fertilization. So, the zygote
is fertilized ovum.
• The zygote then divides again and again to form a large number of
cells, ultimately grows and develops to form a new baby.
 Advantages of Sexual reproduction:
•The Sexual reproduction has many advantages over asexual reproduction. In asexual
reproduction, the offspring produced is almost identical to their parent because of same
genes. So, much genetic variation is not possible. This is a disadvantage as it inhibits the
further evolution of the organism.
•In Sexual reproduction the offspring although similar to their parents, are not identical to
them or to one another. Because the offspring receive some genes from the mother and
some from the father. So, mixing of genes makes various different combinations and so all
the offspring have genetic variations. In this way sexual reproduction leads to a greater
variety in population i.e. species can adapt more quickly to changes in its surroundings or
environment.
•We can say that sexual reproduction promotes diversity of characters in the offspring by
providing genetic variation. Sexual reproduction plays an important role in the origin of
new species having different characteristics. This genetic variation continuous leads to the
evolution of species to form a better and still better organism which is not possible in
asexual reproduction.
 Human Reproductive System: Male
• The humans use sexual mode of reproduction. The reproductive
systems in human beings become functional or start functioning at a
definite age called puberty. In complex multicellular organisms like
human beings there are special reproductive organs to make sperms
and eggs; to bring together sperms and eggs for fertilization; and for
the growth and development of zygote in to a baby.
 Puberty
BOYS GIRLS
• 13 to 14 years • 10 to 12 years
• male gonads testes start • female gonads ovaries start
producing male gametes called producing female gametes called
sperms ova or eggs.
• The testes produce the male sex • the ovaries produce two female
hormone called testosterone. sex hormones, estrogen and
progesterone.
 The various changes that occur in boys at
puberty are:
• Hair grows under armpits and in pubic regions
(genital area) between the thighs. Hairs also grow
on other parts of the body like chest and face
(moustache, beard etc.). Body becomes more
muscular due to the development of muscles. The
voice deepens or cracks. Chest and shoulders
broaden. The penis and testes become larger. The
testes start to make sperms. Feelings and sexual
drives associated with adulthood begin to develop.
All these changes in boys are brought about by the
male sex hormones ‘testosterone’ made in testes.
The various changes which occur in girls at
puberty are:
• Hair grows under armpits and pubic region (This
change is same as in boys). Mammary glands or
breasts develop and enlarge. The hips broaden.
Extra fat is deposited in various parts of the body
like hips and thighs. Fallopian tubes, uterus and
vagina enlarge. Ovaries start to release eggs.
Menstruation start. Feelings and sexual drives
associated with adulthood begin to develop. All
these changes in girls are brought about by the
female sex hormones ‘oestrogen’ and
‘progesterone’ made in ovaries.
 The Male Reproductive System
• The human male reproductive
system consists of the following
organs: Testes, Scrotum,
Epididymis, Vas deferens or
Sperm duct, Seminal Vesicles,
Prostrate gland and Penis.
• Testes are the oval shaped organs which lie outside the abdominal cavity of a
man. A man has two testes. Testes are the primary reproductive organs in man
or males. The function of testes is to make the male sex cells or male gametes
called sperms and also to make the male sex hormone called testosterone.
The testes of a man make the sex gametes or sperms from the puberty
onwards, throughout his life. The testes of a man lie in small muscular pouch
called scrotum, outside the abdominal cavity. The testes are outside the
abdominal cavity of the body and not deep inside the body because the sperm
formation requires a lower temperature than the normal body temperature.
Being, outside the abdominal cavity, the temperature of scrotum is about 3
degree Celsius lower than the temperature inside the body. In this way, the
testes provide an optimal temperature for the formation of sperms.
• The sperms from the testes come out and go in to a coiled tube called
epididymis. The sperms get stored temporarily in epididymis. From
epididymis, the sperms are carried by a long tube called Vas Deferens or
sperm duct which joins with another tube called urethra coming from
the bladder. Along the path of vas deferens, the glands called seminal
vesicles and prostrate gland add their secretions to sperms so that the
sperms are now in a liquid. This liquid plus the sperms it contains is
called semen which is a thick liquid. The secretions of seminal vesicles
and prostrate gland provide nutrition to the sperms and also make their
further transport easier. Urethra forms a common passage for sperms and
urine. Urethra carries the sperms to an organ called penis which opens
outside the body. The penis passes the sperms from the man’s body in to
vagina in the woman’s body during mating for the purpose of
reproduction.
THANK YOU!
- Morsida L. Hadjiracman