How do Organisms Reproduce?

Lesson

Part 1 — why living things reproduce, why offspring are similar but never identical, and the many ways organisms reproduce from a single parent.

In this lesson you will

Explain why DNA copying is essential in reproduction
Explain how variation arises and how it helps a species survive
Describe fission, fragmentation, regeneration and budding with examples
Describe spore formation and vegetative propagation, and their uses

Concept

Why reproduce?

Reproduction is not needed to keep an individual alive, but it is essential for the survival of the species. Without it, a species would die out as its members die.

Table contrasting life processes, needed by each individual, with reproduction, needed by the species
	Life processes	Reproduction
Needed by	Each individual	The species
If it stops	The individual dies	The species slowly disappears
Example	Breathing, digestion	A mango tree producing seeds

Concept

DNA copying: the basic event

The DNA in the nucleus carries the information for making proteins, and proteins build the body’s design. Reproduction begins with the cell making a copy of its DNA, along with extra cell apparatus, and then dividing so that each new cell gets a copy.

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