Reproduction Scenarios

Master sexual vs asexual reproduction! Learn key concepts like mitosis, meiosis, and binary fission with interactive scenarios.

Below are several scenarios related to sexual and asexual reproduction. Complete each activity and respond to the questions related to each one. Below is some review - have a teacher check before you move on to the scenarios. Sort each of the following descriptions based on if they describe sexual or asexual reproduction. Sexual Meiosis to produce sex cells. DNA from different parents. Requires 2 parents. Requires more time and energy to reproduce. Mutations could be removed from population over time. Diverse population. Asexual Mitosis to produce clones. DNA identical to parent. One parent. Requires less time and energy to reproduce. Mutations remain in population. Uniform population. Review of Disadvantages and Advantages Sort the following descriptions into the headings below. You should have 3 under each heading. Advantages of Sexual Environmental adaptions because of genetic variation. Organism does not necessarily have weaknesses of parents. Bad genes weeded out of population. Advantages of Asexual Organisms that are immobile or can't get a mate are able to produce offspring. Low energy cost for lots of offspring. Quick. Disadvantages of Sexual Mate required. Favorable genes don't always get passed down. Higher energy cost means fewer offspring. Disadvantages of Asexual No genetic variation. Organisms share the same weaknesses. Environmental changes can wipe out entire populations since they cannot adapt fast enough. Which process is pictured below? Mitosis Meiosis Which process is pictured below? Mitosis Meiosis Corals Working to Save the Coral Reef Watch the video and respond to the questions below. What type of reproduction does Dr. Vaughan describe as the key to saving coral reefs? Sexual Asexual - Fragmentation Asexual - Binary Fission Asexual - Budding Corals have many different methods of reproduction. See the picture below and identify what type of reproduction is occurring. Sexual Asexual - Fragmentation Asexual - Binary fission Asexual - Budding When coral colonies are large enough and mature enough, they are able to reproduce sexually through what's called mass spawning events.Use what you know about sexual reproduction to fill in the missing parts of the paragraph below. When a coral becomes matureenough it is able to participate in a mass spawning event. The coral and its surrounding colonies produce spores (sex cells) through the process of meiosis. The spores are released into the water to be mixed with cells from close by corals, but can travel miles and miles away from the parent coral to produce new colonies. The mixing of these sex cells produces new, uniquecorals that attach to an area and begin to grow. The new corals have genetic potential to improve their chances of corals surviving the ever changing ocean environment. New combinations of genes means that corals are better able to adapt to their surroundings. The new coral will produce asexuallyuntil it becomes mature enough to produce sexually; this can take anywhere from 25-100 years! In complete sentences, summarize why fragmentation will be essential in saving the coral reefs. (Cite 2 reasons given in the video.) Apply the advantages you know about sexual and asexual reproduction to corals. In complete sentences, describe why it would be beneficial for corals to produce asexually? Why sexually? Giraffes Background on Adaptations Scientists believe that over time, giraffes have adapted to have longer necks. Below are several pictures - use them as evidence to help you answer the questions. Giraffe Reference Pictures If the pictures depict the two sizes of ancestral giraffes (same age, the smaller one is not younger), choose 2 answer choices that support why giraffes now have long necks. The long-necked giraffes broke off food for the shorter giraffes. The short-necked giraffes were not able to reach the food, starved to death, and therefore never reproduced. The long-necked giraffes were stronger, and therefore overpowered the short-necked giraffes. Short neck giraffes where able to physically stretch their necks over their lifetime and pass this changed phenotype on to their children, therefore all we see today are long-necked giraffes. Long-necked giraffes were able to reach food located higher off the ground, while short-necked giraffes had to compete with other species for the food lower to the ground. The long-necked giraffes survived long enough to reproduce. Choose the best explanation for why sexual reproduction is an advantage in this situation. Tall and short giraffes will breed to produce medium height giraffes. The giraffes that die, are able to pass on their genes to their offspring. The tall giraffes survive and pass on the genes for their long neck to their offspring. Sexual reproduction happens quickly and allows for the population to change rapidly. Bacteria The picture above is the bacteria that causes pneumonia, streptococcus pneumoniae. It, like most bacteria, reproduce asexually through a process called binary fission. Which of the following processes is most similar to binary fission. Mitosis, because the two bacteria cells produced are genetically identical to themselves and the original cell. Meiosis, because the cells produced are genetically unique. Enjoy this video that explains the dangers of antibiotic resistance! Below is an info-graphic showing the process of how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. Whenever a bacteria becomes resistant to the medicine used to treat it, a new medicine must be found or the patient remains sick since the bacteria continues to survive and reproduce. Choose 2 explanationsfor why binary fission would be beneficial to bacteria. All bacteria produced are genetically unique. The bacteria can reproduce quickly and without a mate. Binary fission produces 2 identical cells, therefore if the first cell was resistant to a bacteria, the second one is too. The bacteria produced have the same weaknesses. Binary fission causes other types of bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics. Choose the best explanation for why binary fission would be a disadvantage. The bacteria produced are genetically unique, and therefore resistant to many different medicines. The bacteria reproduce quickly and do not need a mate. It takes lots of energy to reproduce. The bacteria are genetically identical and therefore could be completely wiped out with the next medicine the patient takes. Potatoes During the 1840's in Ireland, there was a disease that rampaged through the potato crops that were the staple of the Irish diet at the time. The disease (called a 'blight' in the plant world) destroyed the tubers and stems of potato crops plunging Ireland into famine. Use your knowledge of asexual reproduction to explain why this occurred. Choose the explanation that does NOT explain why all the potatoes were wiped out during the blight. The potatoes were produced by mitosis so they were genetically identical. Vegetative reproduction caused the potatoes to be genetically identical to each other as the farmers continued to replant the same potato plants over and over again. The potatoes did not have resistance to the blight. The potatoes were bred together to create diverse potatoes. In the space below finish at least2 sentence starters in relation to your understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of asexual and sexual reproduction:BE SPECIFIC!1. I still am not sure about....2. I need help understanding....3. I am confused about...4. I understand and could help someone else understand....5. I am confident in my understanding of....