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Reprodu c tion
in Living Things

Chapter Preview
6.1 Asexual Reproduction
in Plants
6.2 Asexual Reproduction
in Animals and
Animallike Organisms
6.3 Sexual Reproductio'n
in Plants
6.4 Sexual Reproduction
in Animals

Have you observed a young plant that grows from a seed?

All living things reproduce either asexually or sexually.

Asexual reproduction involves only one parent and does not
Living things have the ability involve fertilization. Therefore, the offspring produced through
to reproduce their own kind asexual reproduction are genetically identical to the parent.
.either sexually or asexually.
. Sexual reproduction, on the other hand, requires both male
and female parents to produce offspring. It results in genetic
variation in offspring.
In this chapter, you will find answers to these questions:
Why are offspring different or alike from their parents?
What are the methods of plant and animal reproduction?
Do all animal s have two parents?

) 08 , You and !he Natural World - Grade 7

/
 C ONCEPT M AP

( ____R
_e_p_r_
o,.
d_
uc_t_io_n_ _)

maybe
I

asexual sexual
reproduction reproduction
involves involves

in
t t in
( one parent ) ( two parents )

( plants ) animals plants

C animals )
maybe undergo maybe
I

. binary fission
! i
vegetative
propagation
artificial
propagation
. budding ( non~seed ) ( seed )
regeneration
maybe through
done with

. •
tubers .
+
cutting
. rhizomes . grafting
. corms
. runners

;t~ I~f.ftill.iiiilif
1. Differentiate asexual and sexual reproduction in plants and animals in terms of the number of
individuals involved and of similarities of offspring to parents.
2. Describe the process of fertilization.
3. Explain how plants can produce offspring through asexual and sexual reproduction.
4. Cite advantages of asexual reproduction in plants.
5. Describe how animals reproduce asexua lly and sexua lly.

Ch apter 6 Reprodu ction in Living Things §

 @ Assess YouR P'<IUR K1sow1.rnc1.
1. What do you know about plant reproduction?
2. How does reproduction occur in plants and animals?
/

ffl Asexual Reproduction in Plants

t!M-¥&/ry 6. 1

'
Plants reproduce in a variety of ways. Some plants / ---

do not produce seeds but grow new plants from leaves,

stems, or roots. These modes of reproduction are referred
to as asexual reproduction, through w~ich one parent
® S CIENCE P ROCESS S KILLS '

produces an offspring that is identical to itsel£ Observing

Observe a katakataka plant.
Ase:x.'Ual reproduction may occur through vege-
How d~es it reproduce? What do
tative propagation or artificial propagation. If it happens
you see along the edges of its
naturally in plants, it is called vegetative propagation.
leaves?
This process reproduces plants very rapidly since only
one· parent is required. When humans manipulate plant
reproduction, the process is referred to as artificial
propagation.
If you place a sweet potato in water, it will soon
grow many new small plants. Each new plant can be
pulled off and planted. Why? Sweet potato plants n;pro-
duce asexually. New plants can grow from the roots of a
mature plant.
Other plants can grow asexually from stems or
leaves. For instance, a. cactus plant grows small notches
on its leaves. Look closely at Figure 6-2. What do you
(a) (b)
see growing along the edges of the leaves? These new
Figure 6 -1. (a) Sweet potato is a modified root,
plants eventually drop off and grow.
while (b) potato is a modified stem. They can both
grow new plants.

I i.1 11r.• 6 J New plrl rHs form a long th e

edges of a cac tu s leaf.
 Many new plants are grown asexually from underground stems (e.g., potatoes and onions).
Potatoes are often stored away for future use. Have you ever found small plants growing out of a
potato? The potato is a tuber, which is a swollen, underground stem that stores food and forms a
new plant.

Onions are examples of bulbs, which are

short underground stems that have fleshy leaves
that store food. Onion bulbs are planted more
often than their ·seeds because the bulbs grow
more rapidly. If you cut an onion bulb in half, you
will see the fleshy leaves inside.
Corms are similar to bulbs, but corms have
much thinner leaves. They are also modified for
food storage; but unlike tubers, they grow upright. Figure 6-3. An onion bulb
Most of the stored food in corms are found in the
stem itself. Thin, scalelike leaves surround the stem
and serve mainly to protect it.
Some plants, such as strawberry or spider
plants, form new plants at the nodes of their
runners. A runner has a stem that grows along or
above the ground. It contains nodes with plant buds
that grow into new plants when the nodes touch
the soil. The small plants can then be removed
from the main stem and placed in a soil to grow. Fig ure 6-4. A strawberry plant is a runner.

Other plants reproduce asexually through ·

cuttings and grafting. In grafting a mango tree, a
stem of one tree may be joined or grafted to the
stem of another tree. This method results in a
mango tree that will produce a hybrid mango.
- Why is grafting important to gardeners
and farmers? Plant growers often use grafting to
combine traits of two plants. The fruit produced by
a plant with a grafted stem will have better quality
than the fruit from an ungrafted plant. Moreover, Figure 6-5. In grafting, a stem of one plant is joined
to a stem of another plant.
a damaged tree may be saved by _grafting part of it
onto a healthy tree.
·- -- - -~ - - - - - - - - -
(

@ S CI ENCE P ROCESS St<ILLS

Analyzing and Evaluating

1. What p Ian t s 9 rown in your area reproduce asexually?
· Id ' propose to be grown asexually in your area to help your
2 What plants wou you . · h 7
· city/provrnce
. 1regro
. n become economically progressive.7 W y.

Chapter 6 Reproduction in Living Things 8

 Have you ever tried planting a piece of stern? If you have,
you have used a method called cutting. Cutting is a process in
which a small section of a plant stem is cut and planted to
grow. This method of ase::-...1.rnl reproduction is very common.
It is used in many flowering plants. Even some fruit trees are
grown this way.
figure 6-6 . A new cassava plant grown
from a cutting

1. Describe two ways on how plants reproduce through vegetative reproduction.

2. What is cutting? How do gardeners grow more plants from cutting?
3. Explain how plants can be grafted onto other plants.
4. Why do farmers and gardeners use artificial propagation for plants?
5. How is vegetative propagation similar to artificial propagation? How is it different?

ffl Asexual Reproduction in Animals

and Animallike Organisms
Similar to plants, animals may reproduce with only one parent, in which case the offspring
will look exactly like the parent. Many single-celled organisms reproduce by simple cell division,
or binary fission (Figure 6-7a). In this process, a parent cell divides into two organisms. Paramecia,
single-celled organisms, and some algae and bacteria r~produce this way.
i
Budding is another kind of reproduction by one parent. It can be observed in yeasts, a type ~
of fungi (Figure 6-7b). It is also the mode ofreproduction employed by some animals that cannot -~
simply split in half In budding, a small part of an organism breaks off and starts to grow until both i
the "parent" and the "offspring" are of the same size and are capable to undergo budding. c

••
(a) binary fission of paramecia (h) buciciinq o f yec1st cells
Figure 6-7. Asexual reproduction in single-celled organism~

0 You and the Natural World- Grade 7

 Few animal s ca n reproduce by rege11cmtion, in whi ch a parent breaks into
two or more pieces
that form new organisms. When a starfish loses an arm, docs the severed
arm develop into a new
starfish, or does the original starfish simply grow back the cutoff part?

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Figure 6-8. A starfish can regrow its missing arm. The cut arm may develop
into a new starfish.
Asexua l reprodu ction also allows animals to produce · large numbers of offsprin
g in a short
period. This is an advantage of ase?CUally reproducing organisms over sexually
reproducing organisms.
In animal s, asexual reprodu ction does not involve sex organs. Any body part ·or cell
can give
rise to offspri ng. Only the simple r forms of animals, such as sponges, hydra,
and fla~or ms, underg o
asexual reprod uction. Compl ex animal s reprodu ce sexually.

1. Compare asexual reproduction in plants and in animals.

2. Describe two methods of asexual reproduction in animals.
3. How will animals produced through asexual reproduction look compared
to their
parent?

m Sexual Reproduction in Plants

Have you seen fruits that have developed from flowers? Flower ing plants
are the largest and
most diverse group of plants in the world.

Non-Seed Plants
Non -seed plants, such a~ mosses :md forns, have_ s1~ecialize<l structures t<.)r
reprodu ction. The
. cess of these plants mvolve s two d1st111c t· stages: a sexual stage and an asexual
repro d uct10n pro · . . . _ , .
stage. Th l. S W l1 0 1e p ror-ess' 'is termed alterna/1011 ef J.!/llt'Jt1!1011 .
1 and occurs durmg
'
the plants life cycle.
How does thi s occur? The life cycle of pl_ants alterna tes_frmn a diploid gen~ra
tion to a haploid
.
gencrat10n. A d'pl 'd SJ)ore (a cell tha_ t contam s two sets of chromo somes , which come from two
i oi
. . . _
. d . . f durinv the Jporophyte stage . A_ spo_rc underg oes cell d1v1s1on to produc e haploid
.
parents ) 1s pro ucc< n . 1
. h . a•vnefo1>hv • ·
gamete s d unng t c g ,,, r J le stage. .
Huplo1rl cd/J rnntam 011 Y one set of chromo somes. Thcv
_. , . . , , ,
. d urmg
unite . 1cr£' t'li:citio
1 ,, n to form a d1plo1d zvgot<.: .
,

Chapter 6 Reproduction 111 Living Things 0

 Study the diagram below to understand how alternation of generation s takes place in plan ts.

Sporophyte stage Spores grow for

Spores germinate.
produces spores. ga metophyte genPratio n.

sporophyte generation gametophyte generation

Gametes unite to form

Zygote grows into zygote. Gametophyte stage
sporophyte generation. produces gam etes.

Figure 6 -9 . Alternation of generations in plants

Seed Plants
~ lty6.2

Many plants produce seeds during sexual reproduction. A seed is a protective structure that
contains a diploid plant embryo and stores the food for the plant. Seed plants may either be cone-
bearing (gymnosperms) or flowering (angiosperms).
The most common gymnosperms are the
conifers. Conifers produce female cones, which
contain the egg cells; and male cones, which produce
the pollen grains. When a pollen grain reaches a
female cone, it produces a pollen tube. Eventually, a
sperm cell is released from the pollen tube. The sperm
fertilizes an egg in the ovule, forming a zygote. The
zygote grows into an embryo surrounded by a seed
coat. As the embryo matures, the female cone grows
larger, and the seed may germinate if it lands on a Figure 6-10. Conifers produce seeds in cones,
which are specialized reproductive structures.
favorable environme nt.
Angiosper ms produce flowers. A flower may
have both a female part called the pistil and a male
part called the stamen. The pistil contains the stigma,
style, and ovary. The stigma traps pollen grains as
they land on the pistil. The middle section is the .1tylc,
which supports the stigma. At the bottom of the
pistil is the ovary, which contains ov u/cJ . Each ovule
contains an egg cell.
F'i<Jure 6 -11 . Why c11e now er~ irnpo rtdnt
in plant reproductio n?

0 You and the Natural World-Grade 7

 At theRtop
and stored fl
of the
. ·
stamen. is a saclike p,u ,· ·t ca11.ccI t·h.c ant I.m ; w I1cre poll en grains are formed
0 · en gmms conta111 the sperm , ·ti . T l . ,
. ·
important f)a •t f: I fl . · cc s. ic ,tnt IlCJ, . ·15 supported
.
by the filament. Another
I 0 . t 1e ower IS the \'Cha/ wl . ·l1 ·I cl ) · r
the stalk of the flow . ( . ,' · ~, · ' .l tc enc oses a eve oping bud. fh c receptacle is a part of
er p cd1 cd), whc1 e the other parts of the flower arc attached.
stamen
I
filament
I
anther

petal - --

\·~. ~
"\

~ ....
1
/ -----
~ -+-1,,,,__-~_ stigma

i-/Ht-if---,L- - style 7 pistil

(
;· r'~'. ,_ _
- - - styl e
stigm a

t\
anth er

ti lam ent

sepal - ---!.
ovule J 1
ovary
/ !rr-- poll en
\i!l
receptacle - - - - -.. . J.,;•"- female male

pedicel - - - - - --l
Figure 6-12. Parts of a flower

Two parents are needed for sexual reproduction

in plants. The male parent produces the sperm
cells, and the female parent produces the egg cells.
In sexual reproduction, an egg cell is fertilized by a
® S CIENC E P ROCESS S KI LLS

Communicating
sperm cell. In flowering plants, fertilization takes
place within the flower and leads to the formation 1. How do you know that flowers have
of one or more seeds in a fruit. Plants produced this undergone fertilization even before
they turn into fruits?
way have combined features of the two parents.
2. Do all flowers become fruits?
For fertilization to occur, sperm cells must Explain.
reach the egg cells. How do sperm cells inside the
pollen get to the egg within the ovule?
Pollination occurs when pollen grains are
transported from the anther to the stigma. This
The mature plant
~ Each ovule w it hin
action initiates the fertilization. When a pollen th e fl ower's ovary
produces a flower. contai ns a fert1\1zed
grain lands on the stigma, a pollen tube leading to Pollination and egg. The ovary
the ovary grows from the pollen grain. The sperm fertilization take becom es a fr uit.
place.
cell contained in the pollen grain then begins
to move down the tube. When the tube reaches
the ovary, the sperm cell inside the tube can now
reach the egg cell, thu s fertilization takes place. Wh en th e fr uit
After fertilization, the ovule develops into a seed ri pen s, th e seeds
Me dispersed. The
that contains a tiny, undeveloped plant. The ovary seeds grow In to
surrounding the ovule develops_ into a fru!t. When new pl ant s.
the fruit ripens, the seeds are d1 sp~rsed. If the seed ~i,J lll<' o 1 L The proce~s of repro duction 111 flow erin g
lands on good soil, it will devel op mto a new plan t. pl ant s

Chapter 6 Reprod uction in Living Things 0

 1. How does sexual reproduction differ from asexual reproduction?
2. What is the role of a flower in plant reproduction?
3. How can sexual reproduction improve the variety of plants?

ffl Sexual Reproduction in Animals

Most animals are reproduced sexually from two parents. They
have special reproductive organs that produce sex cells. The male
parent produces the sperm cells, while the female parent produces
the egg cells. When organisms mate, a sperm fertilizes an egg to
produce a zygote, which later grows into a new organism. The new Figure 6-14. Fertilization occurs when
organism would only be similar, not identical, to its parents. a sperm cell and an egg cell meet.

Depending on the animal, fertilization may occur either outside or inside a female's body.
A male and a female fish both release their sex cells into the water, which meet by chance to
initiate fertilization. This type of fertilization is called externalfertilization, in which the egg and
sperm cells meet outside the body. External fertilization must take place in a moist environment
so that the delicate zygotes will not dry out. The fertilized eggs later become new organisms that
grow without nurturing from the parents.

Figure 6- 15. Frogs lay their eggs in the water.

. Ho~ do anima!s that rely on external fertilization make_ sure that their egg and sperm cclb
will meet. These ~mmals release thousands of sex cells at a time. They gather in large groups to
reproduce, mcreasmg the chances of the sex cells joining and forming into zygotes.
Other animals such as dogs and cats arc produced through internal f ertilization. In this
process, the egg and spe~m cells join inside the female body. Sperm cells arc ·released by the male
mto the female body. This process has greater chances for fertilization.

@ You and the Natural World-Grade 7

 Insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals fertilize their eggs internally. Some lay fertilized eggs,
as
do birds, which usually lay more than one egg.
In most mammp.ls, internal fertilization is followed by the development of the fertilized egg
in the II?-Other's body. Except for kangaroos and other marsupials, mammals give birth to
offspring
that are well-developed.

( ° ) Ci-EC!< YOUR UNDERSTAND! ~G

1. How do offspring produced through asexual reproduction differ from those produce
d
through sexual reproduction?
2. How do external and internal fertilization differ? How are they alike?
3. Why does external fertilization occur in moist environments?
4. Nam.e five characteristics or mechanisms of sexual reproduction.

Chapter 6 Reproduction in Living Things 8

c~ T HINK AT R IGHT A NGLE S ) ~~-"--"'

Directions: List the facts you· have learned in this chapter on the lines beside arrow A, and write what
you have learned about these facts on the lines below arrow B.

What you
Facts A
learned
about
the given
facts

C®SUMMARY )
Reproduction in living things may be either asexual or sexual. Asexual reproduction involves only
one parent, while sexual reproduction involves two parents. A zygote forms when a sperm cell fertilizes
an egg cell.
Asexual reproduction does not involve fertilization; thus, all offspring produced asexually are
identical to the parent. Sexual reproduction involves sperm cell and egg cell. In this process, offspring
will show some, not all, features from each parent.
Some plants reproduce asexually using their roots, leaves, and stems.
Flowers are the reproductive parts of plants. The female reproductive part is- called the pistil, and
the male reproductive part is called the stamen.
Fertilization in plants form fruits, which carry the seeds. Seeds in turn develop into new plants.
Budding and regeneration are two types of asexual reproduction in animals. Fertilization in sexual
reproduction of animals may occur in two ways: external fertilization, which takes place outside the
mother's body; and internal fertilization, which occurs within the mother's body.

0 You and the Natural World- Grade 7

ce A.
TEST Y OUR U NDERSTANDING )

Multiple Choice. Encircle the letter that corresponds to the correct answer.
1. Which of the following is an example of.a runner?
a. cactus C. · potato
b. onion d. strawberry
2 .. are modified stems for food storage.
a. Bulbs C. Runners
b. Corms d. Tubers
3. A paramecium is a unicellular organism that reproduces through-----
a: binary fission c. fertilization
b. budding d. regeneration
4. Which of the following parts of a flower stores the pollen grains?
l

a. anther c. stamen
b. ovary d. stigma
5. All of the following internally fertilize their eggs except _ _ _ __
a. birds c. frogs
b. elephants d. humans

B. Short Answer Response

1. Complete the concept map below.

( Reproduction )
I
maybe
I

( ___
se_x"Tu_a_l _ ...,)

may happen through involves

budding ( ) sperm cells

among in in

+ +
J
unite to form
unicellular
organisms
simple animals
C plants
t
C )
§ You and the Natural World-Grade 7
 2. Draw a chart comparing asexual and
sexual reproduction .
3. Compare offspring produced thro
ugh asexual reproduction with thos
sexual reproduction. e produced through

c. Ext end ed Response

1. Ho w does fertilization in plants diff
er from that in animals?
2. Illustrate the role of flowers in plant
reproduction .
3. ls asexual reproduction in plants hel
pful to farmers? Explain.

Chapter 6 Reproduction in Living Things

@