Reproduction is the process by which living things produce offspring similar to themselves for their species survival. It begins with cell division.

Types of Reproduction

(i) Asexual Reproduction: production offspring by the division of a single parent cell without gamete formation. The offspring produced by asexual reproduction are genetically identical. It is relatively fast mode of reproduction.

Binary Fission: offspring production by the division of a parent cell into two equal offspring cells. It mostly occurs in unicellular organisms such as algae, bacteria and protozoans.

Vegetative propagation: offspring production from the cuts of stems leaves and roots of flowering plants.It can be natural or artificial.

Bulbs: Plants such as onions and garlic, the bulb is the unit of vegetative propagation that contains underground stem

Corms: Thick underground stems with upright position and function. The common example is crocus.

Rhizomes: Horizontal underground stems that can give new shoot. The best example is ginger.

Runners: Horizontal stems growing from the parent plant those grow above the ground. It is exemplified by wild strawberry.

Suckers: Form of budding called suckering is the regeneration of a plant by shoots that arise from an existing root system. Banana is the best example.

Tubers: Plant such as potato and sweet potato develop new plant from tube-like underground stem and root respectively.

(ii) Sexual reproduction: Production of offspring by the fusion of male and female gametes.

(a) Conjugation: Sexual reproduction by the fusion of identical gametes acting as positive and negative gametes. It occurs in organisms such as Paramecium and molds.

(b) Formation of male and female gametes

Gametes are sex cells formed in gonads (testes and ovaries) when sexual maturity is attained.

In human, male sex cells or sperm cells are produced inside the testes throughout adult man’s life.

(c) Meiosis is a means of gamete formation in sexual reproducing  organisms,

(d) Fusion of gametes

Structure called zygote. The zygote gradually develops into a many celled structure called an embryo.

(e) Fertilization is the union of male and female gametes to form a one celled structure known as zygote.