Sexual Reproduction and Meiosis

Type of reproduction in which genetic materials from two different cells combine, producing an offspring.

Sexual reproduction provides variation in species

Helps ensure healthy Populations

uses a sperm and an egg

Sperm-the male sex cell forms in the testis

Egg- the female sex cell forms in the ovary

Fertilization-When an egg cell and a sperm cell join together

Zygote-the new cell that forms from fertilization

Meiosis is twice as complex as mitosis

it has two parts and both parts have four phases

prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase

The main difference is that in the second part of meiosis the result is 4 haploid cells that have half of the chromosomes.

More genetic variation

Variation makes populations more resistant to environmental changes

People can selectively breed species

Takes time and energy

Organisms must grow and develop until they are mature enough to produce sex cells

only half of your genetic material is passed on.