Question

What is the basic event that takes place during reproduction? How is it important?

Answer 1

Reproduction is also referred to as breeding or procreation. It is a biological phenomenon which results in formation of new discrete organisms known as "offspring" from their respective "parents". Reproduction is the fundamental characteristic of all the known living organisms. All new individuals arise from preexisting individuals through the process of reproduction.

Complete answer:
Individuals carry out reproduction to produce the new organism of the similar species. The process of reproduction involves fertilization as its basic event. The individual male and female gametes fuse during the fertilization event resulting in formation of a zygote. Thereafter mitotic division takes place in this zygote producing new organisms. The mode of reproduction can be sexual as well as asexual.

The event of fertilization is important as it contributes in the progression of generations. In absence of reproduction, there will be a steep decline in a particular population and eventually extinction of a species may occur.

The process in which a haploid male gamete fuses with the haploid female gamete is also known as syngamy. When this process occurs outside the body, it is called external fertilization and in cases where this event occurs inside the body, it is called internal fertilization.

Reproduction basically involves the copying of genetic information from parents to the offspring in the form of deoxy ribonucleic acid (DNA).

Note: The genetic information obtained from the DNA is translated into the respective proteins. So, various proteins are formed based on the genetic information which further helps in carrying out functions of various life processes.