3.1 Sexual and Asexual reproduction

Describe the differences between sexual and asexual reproduction

1. Sexes
- Exist in sexual reproduction - male/female
- None in asexual

2. Cells
- Sexual reproduction needs gametes
- Sperm - male
- Egg - female
- Asexual - no gametes

3. Cell division
- Sexual reproduction - Meiosis - ½ total adult number of chromosomes in gamete cells
- In humans the number of chromosomes in each cell is 46 - in gamete cells there are 23 per cell
- Asexual reproduction - Mitosis / Binary fission
- The number of chromosomes is constant (two cells are identical)

4. Fertilisation
- Sexual - egg cell and sperm cell fuse together
- Asexual - no fertilisation

5. Variation / Difference
- Sexual - broad + many differences
- Asexual - small variation (due to mutation), almost all identical (clone)

What are some examples of genetic mutation in asexually reproducing species?