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Botany · Class 11 Science

Ch 10Reproduction in Organisms — Class 11 Botany, concept-first.

Whatever an organism's life span, death is inevitable for every individual — except, notably, single-celled organisms, which do not undergo a natural death in the same sense because the parent cell simply divides to become the next generation.

18

Q&A

8

Concepts

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Key concepts

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Reproduction and Life Span

Every organism has a finite life span — the period between its birth and natural death — and life spans vary enormously across species, from a few days in some insects to several thousand years in certain long-lived tree…

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Chapter contents

The NCERT structure, section by section. Open a section to see its questions, then read the concept-first solution.

1.1

Asexual Reproduction

Whatever an organism's life span, death is inevitable for every individual — except, notably, single-celled organisms, which do not undergo a natural death in the same sense because the parent cell si…

1.2

Sexual Reproduction

Despite the enormous diversity among plants, animals and fungi in body form, internal structure and physiology, their sexual reproduction follows a broadly similar pattern.

1.2.1

Pre-fertilisation Events

- Gametogenesis — the production of the male and female gametes themselves, through cell division within the reproductive organs or structures of the parent organism(s).

1.2.1.1

Gametogenesis

Among animals, most species are unisexual — the cockroach, for instance, exists as separate male and female individuals (Figure 1.6b), each with only testes or only ovaries.

1.2.1.2

Gamete Transfer

Gamete Transfer Once male and female gametes have formed, they must be physically brought together before they can fuse — this movement is called gamete transfer.

1.2.2

Fertilisation

Fertilisation The single most important event in sexual reproduction is the fusion of the male and female gametes.

1.2.3

Post-fertilisation Events

Two closely linked processes make up this stage: - Formation of the zygote — the diploid cell created immediately by fertilisation, whose further fate depends on the kind of organism and the environme…

1.2.3.1

The Zygote

The Zygote The formation of a diploid zygote by the fusion of gametes is a universal feature of sexual reproduction, found in every sexually reproducing organism.

1.2.3.2

Embryogenesis

Because viviparous young receive continuous embryonic care and protection inside the parent's body, their survival chances are generally much higher than those of oviparous young, whose eggs and hatch…

Summary

Sexual reproduction, the near-universal strategy in higher animals, is slower and more complex because it depends on the formation and fusion of gametes from (typically) two parents, producing genetic…

Exercises

+Show 18 questions18 questions
  1. Q1Why is reproduction essential for organisms?Free
  2. Q2Which is a better mode of reproduction: sexual or asexual? Why?Free
  3. Q3Why is the offspring formed by asexual reproduction referred to as clone?Free
  4. Q4Offspring formed due to sexual reproduction have better chances of survival. Why? Is this statement always true?Preview
  5. Q5How does the progeny formed from asexual reproduction differ from those formed by sexual reproduction?Preview
  6. Q6Distinguish between asexual and sexual reproduction. Why is vegetative reproduction also considered as a type of asexual reproduction?Preview
  7. Q7What is vegetative propagation? Give two suitable examples.Preview
  8. Q8Define (a) Juvenile phase, (b) Reproductive phase, (c) Senescent phase.Preview
  9. Q9Higher organisms have resorted to sexual reproduction in spite of its complexity. Why?Preview
  10. Q10Explain why meiosis and gametogenesis are always interlinked?Preview
  11. Q11Identify each part in a flowering plant and write whether it is haploid (n) or diploid (2n). (a) Ovary ——————————— (b) Anther ——————————— (c…Preview
  12. Q12Define external fertilisation. Mention its disadvantages.Preview
  13. Q13Differentiate between a zoospore and a zygote.Preview
  14. Q14Differentiate between gametogenesis from embryogenesis.Preview
  15. Q15Describe the post-fertilisation changes in a flower.Preview
  16. Q16What is a bisexual flower? Collect five bisexual flowers from your neighbourhood and with the help of your teacher find out their common and…Preview
  17. Q17Examine a few flowers of any cucurbit plant and try to identify the staminate and pistillate flowers. Do you know any other plant that bears…Preview
  18. Q18Why are offspring of oviparous animals at a greater risk as compared to offspring of viviparous animals?Preview