Animal Reproduction and Breeding Overview

Study Notes

Animal Reproduction

Animals can reproduce asexually, producing genetically identical offspring, or sexually, combining genetic material from two individuals to produce genetically diverse offspring.
Hermaphroditism is when an organism has both male and female gametes, allowing for both sexual and asexual reproduction.

Asexual Reproduction Methods

Fission (or binary fission): an organism splits into two separate organisms after growth, mainly occurring in prokaryotic microorganisms and some invertebrates.
Budding: an organism reproduces from an outgrowth of a cell or body region, leading to separation from the original organism, mainly occurring in some invertebrate animals.
Fragmentation: a body part breaks away, developing into a complete organism.
Parthenogenesis: an egg develops into a complete individual without being fertilized, occurring in invertebrates.

Sexual Reproduction in Animals

Sexual reproduction involves the production of a new organism from two parents using sex cells or gametes.
Gametes (sperm and ovum) are cells involved in sexual reproduction.
A zygote is produced when a male gamete fuses with a female gamete via fertilization.
The stage of development between the zygote and the newly formed baby is called the embryo.

Fertilization

Internal fertilization: occurs inside the female body, e.g., in humans, birds, and reptiles.
External fertilization: occurs outside the female body, e.g., in frogs and fish.

Comparison of Asexual and Sexual Reproduction

Asexual reproduction requires one parent, involves no genetic variation, and produces offspring identical to the parent.
Sexual reproduction requires two parents, involves genetic variation, and produces offspring similar yet unique to the parents.
Asexual reproduction takes shorter time and less energy, while sexual reproduction takes more time and more energy.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

IVF is a type of assisted reproductive technology (ART) used for patients with difficulty conceiving.
The process involves removing eggs from a woman's ovary, combining them with sperm outside the body, and producing embryos in vitro.
The fertilized egg (embryo) is placed inside a uterus, and pregnancy occurs when the embryo implants into the uterine wall.
IVF is performed to help with fertility or prevent genetic problems and assist with conception.

Description

Explore the concepts of sexual reproduction in animals, in vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, and embryo cloning. Learn about the basics of animal breeding, including asexual and sexual reproduction, and hermaphroditism. Discover how animals reproduce through different methods.