Reproduction: Some organisms look and act exactly like their parent. Others share many similar traits, but they are definitely unique individuals. Some species have two parents, whereas others have just one. How an organism reproduces determines the amount of similarity the organism will have to its parent. Reproduction is the process by which organisms give rise to offspring. It is one of the defining characteristics of living things. There are two basic types of reproduction: asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction. Each of these processes ensures that the parental generation gives genetic material, DNA, to its offspring.
The process of cell division is how multicellular organisms grow and repair themselves. It is also how many organisms produce offspring. For many single-celled organisms, asexual reproduction is a similar process. The parent cell simply divides to form two daughter cells that are identical to the parent. Asexual reproduction produces offspring that are genetically identical to the parent, whereas sexual reproduction produces a similar, but genetically unique offspring. In sexual reproduction, meiosis produces haploid gametes that fuse during fertilization to produce a diploid zygote figure below. In other words, a child inherits half of the genetic material from each parent. Look at the family in figure below. The children resemble their parents, but they are not identical to them. Instead, each has a unique combination of characteristics inherited from both parents. The children, of course, result from sexual reproduction.
There are two basic types of reproduction: asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction. Each of these processes ensures that the parental generation gives genetic material, DNA, to its offspring. The process of cell division is how multicellular organisms grow and repair themselves.