3.1 Sexual and Asexual reproduction

Sexual: 

1. Sexual reproduction involves sexes which are identified as males and females. 
2. Organisms, who reproduce sexually, produce cells known as gametes. This takes the form of a sperm cell in the male and an egg cell in the female. 
3. The type of cell division that produces gametes are known as meiosis. 
4. Meiosis have two effects. One of which is to half the number of adult chromosomes in a gamete cell. 
5. The total number of chromosomes in an adult is 46 per cell whereas the total number of chromosomes in a gamete cell is 23. 
6. Going from 46 to 23 is the process of cell division known as meiosis. 
7. We have the process of fertilization in which the sperm cell fuses with the egg cell. 
8. We find variation in the sexually producing population. This variation (differences) is broad. We find many differences in an individual of the sexually reproducing population. 

Asexual:

1. No gametes 
2. No sexes. 
3. Process of cell division is known as mitosis in eucaryotic cells and binary fission in procaryotic cells which exist in bacteria. 
4. In this process the number of chromosomes is maintained constantly. E.G. a cell with 20 chromosomes would divide to produce 20 chromosomes in 2 cells. These two cells would be identical. 
5. Small amount of variation due to mutation. They are usually identical. This is known as a clone. 
6. No fertilization.