We look at forms of reproduction that are often overlooked by most science curriculum.

The worksheets look at common forms of asexual reproduction and help you learn to name them and determine which organisms perform each. We then look at the develop of a bird in the zygote stage of development. We move on to come vocabulary terms you will find in plant reproduction and learn to label the parts of a flower. These worksheets look at bird eggs, how amoeba, plants, and star fish reproduce. You will find these worksheets very helpful.



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Print Forms of Reproduction Worksheets

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Asexual Reproduction Worksheet

Asexual Reproduction

The diagrams below show various types of asexual replication. Label each as one of the following: budding, binary fission, regeneration, parthenogenesis, sporulation, or vegetative propagation.

Egg Anatomy Worksheet

Bird Egg Anatomy

The diagrams below show both a newly fertilized bird's egg and a bird's egg further along in the process of development. Provide the purpose or function of each part and label the diagram.

Plant Reproduction Worksheet

Plant Reproduction Vocabulary

A matching and blank sheet all in one. This can be helpful to learn new terms.

Parts of a Plant Worksheet

Color the Parts of a Plant

Color the parts of the plant as described below: Color the flower yellow. Color the leaves green. Color the stem blue. Color the roots brown.

What Are the Different Modes of Reproduction?

In order for a species to continue on, avoiding extinction, it must reproduce itself. There are two form of reproduction in nature the asexual form which requires only one parent and the sexual form that includes two parents. Asexual occurs when only one parent is involved in making a new creature. Since there is only one parent, all the traits of the mom or dad are passed on to the baby. As a result, the parent and child are identically. The most common forms of asexual means of duplication are binary fission, budding, and use of spores. Binary fission is when an organism just splits into two, this is common among bacteria. When the organism doesn’t just split into two near equal pieces and only a small piece of the organism falls off and becomes an organism, we call this budding. Yeast is commonly known to undergo budding. Mushrooms are known to create spores that fall off of it and travel many miles to create a new organism. The sexual form requires two parents that each contribute their genetic information to the offspring. Each parent shares a gamete (sex cell) which contains half of their genetic information of their body cells. When the two fuse (fertilization) they form a zygote, which has half of each of the parent’s genetic information. Since each parent shares their DNA, they share half of their genes with their offspring.

Every living thing, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, reproduces to keep its species alive from generation to generation. Therefore, reproduction maintains species' existence and saves them from going extinct, but how does this all take place?

The different modes of reproduction are sexual and asexual reproduction. The primary distinction between the two modes is that the sexual mode requires two organisms, while the asexual mode only needs one organism to produce a new offspring.

Sexual Reproduction

This occurs when male and female parents contribute two gametes (sex cells) to create a zygote through fertilization. The zygote then develops into an embryo and ultimately into a new individual. The offspring is genetically and physically different from the parents because it shares the genetic information of the father and mother to form a unique DNA.

Sexual Reproduction in Animals

Most animals reproduce sexually, where sperms (male cells) combine with eggs (female cells) to form a zygote that grows into a new individual through fertilization. This may occur in three different ways.

Self-Fertilization: It's a process where certain invertebrates like tapeworms self-fertilize their eggs with their own sperm to form a zygote.

Internal Fertilization: It's common in humans, where sperms are introduced into the female reproductive tract through a reproductive organ or insemination and combine with eggs to form a zygote. Fertilization takes place inside the body of a female parent.

External Fertilization: It's a process found in amphibians and fish, where sperms and eggs are released into the surrounding environment like water and combine to form a zygote. Fertilization takes place outside the body of a female parent.

Sexual Reproduction in Plants

In plants, sexual reproduction involves male gametes (pollen) and female gametes (ovules) found in flowers, forming a zygote (grows into seeds) and endosperm (develops into fruits) through pollination, which may occur in two different ways.

Self-Pollination: It's when pollen from one flower's anthers transfers to its stigma. However, it can potentially come from a different flower but on the same plant.

Cross-Pollination: The transfer of pollen from one flower's anther to a flower's stigma of a different plant but the same species. This usually occurs with the help of insects and the wind.

Note: After pollination, the fused cells undergo several steps, including germination and ovule penetration, before reaching the final stage of fertilization.

Asexual Reproduction

This occurs when a single parent produces a new offspring, genetically and physically identical to the mother. As a result, the offspring is an exact clone because it has the same number of chromosomes in its DNA as its parent. This type of reproduction doesn't involve the fusion of gamete cells or fertilization.

Asexual reproduction is further divided into the following types.

  • Fission
  • Budding
  • Vegetative propagation
  • Spore formation
  • Fragmentation
  • Agamogenesis

Asexual Reproduction in Animals

This can occur in animals like sharks, ants, and wasps, where they produce genetically identical offspring through asexual reproduction. There is no fusion of gametes, and offspring arising from this type of reproduction are less diverse. As a result, they are more vulnerable to nutrition deficiencies and diseases.

Asexual Reproduction in Plants

Several plants like onion, potato, and strawberry can reproduce asexually without the transfer of pollen from one flower to another. It can occur naturally, where a plant reproduces through the assistance of roots. Alternatively, it can be human-induced through grafting, cutting, and layering.

Comparison Between Sexual and Asexual Reproduction

The following table summarizes the differences in sexual and asexual reproduction.

Sexual Asexual
Two parents One parent
Fertilization and gametes are present No fertilization and gametes
Offspring variations Identical offsprings
Common in animals and plants Common in bacteria and fungi, but can also happen in plants and animals
Time-consuming Quick and simple

Conclusion

Reproduction, whether sexual or asexual, is crucial for maintaining species' existence within ecosystems. However, sexual reproduction has a benefit over asexual reproduction in that it leads to more species variation, evolution, and improved environmental adaptability.