Sexual

• Sexual reproduction is when a sperm and egg cell (gametes) produce a zygote (fertilised egg).
• Advantages of sexual reproduction:

  • variation in the population
  • species can adapt to new conditions - higher survival rate
  • disease is less likely to affect whole population
  • selective breeding can be used to produce a specific characteristic
• Disadvantages of sexual reproduction:

  • need to find a mate
  • slower reproduction rate
• A gamete is a haploid cell (one set of chromosomes) which is used for sexual reproduction.
• A zygote is a fertilised egg cell (diploid - contains 2 sets of chromosomes).