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By asexual reproduction, an organism creates a genetically similar or identical copy of itself. The evolution of sexual reproduction is a major puzzle for biologists. The two-fold cost of sexual reproduction is that only 50% of organisms reproduce [1] and organisms only pass on 50% of their genes. [2]
Sexually reproducing animals, plants, fungi and protists are thought to have evolved from a common ancestor that was a single-celled eukaryotic species. [1] [2] [3] Sexual reproduction is widespread in eukaryotes, though a few eukaryotic species have secondarily lost the ability to reproduce sexually, such as Bdelloidea, and some plants and animals routinely reproduce asexually (by apomixis ...
Most organisms that create their offspring using sexual reproduction have two common sexes, males and females, and in other species, there are hermaphrodites, organisms that can function reproductively as either female or male, or both. [2] There are also some species in which only one sex is present, temporarily or permanently.
Many eukaryotic organisms including plants, animals, and fungi can also reproduce asexually. [1] In vertebrates, the most common form of asexual reproduction is parthenogenesis, which is typically used as an alternative to sexual reproduction in times when reproductive opportunities are limited.
Sexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that involves a complex life cycle in which a gamete (haploid reproductive cells, such as a sperm or egg cell) with a single set of chromosomes combines with another gamete to produce a zygote that develops into an organism composed of cells with two sets of chromosomes . [1]
Apomixis occurs in many plant species such as dandelions (Taraxacum species) and also in some non-plant organisms. For apomixis and similar processes in non-plant organisms, see parthenogenesis . Natural vegetative reproduction is a process mostly found in perennial plants, and typically involves structural modifications of the stem or roots ...
[9] [10] [11] This type of reproduction has been induced artificially in a number of animal species that naturally reproduce through sex, including fish, amphibians, and mice. [ 12 ] [ 13 ] Some species reproduce exclusively by parthenogenesis (such as the bdelloid rotifers ), while others can switch between sexual reproduction and parthenogenesis.
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 10 February 2025. Procreative biological processes of humanity Part of a series on Sex Biological terms Sexual dimorphism Sexual differentiation Feminization Virilization Sex-determination system XY XO ZW ZO Temperature-dependent Haplodiploidy Heterogametic sex Homogametic sex Sex chromosome X chromosome ...