Glossary

reproduction

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Production of offspring via a sexual or asexual process.

Used in 112 species profiles

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Related terms

allelopathy
A biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that affect the growth, survival, and reproduction of others. Typical in certain plants, algae, bacteria, coral, and fungi.
amphibian
A class of cold-blooded vertebrates, generally requiring water for reproduction.
aplacental viviparity
Also known as ovoviviparity. Method of reproduction employed by certain fishes in which the eggs are fertilised and develop inside the female but there is no placental connection. The juveniles are free-swimming and able to feed as soon as they leave the female's body.
asexual reproduction
Mode of reproduction which does not involve fertilisation whereby offspring derive from a single parent and inherit genes only from that parent. Known in the Amazon Molly, Poecilia formosa, and some other fish species.
fertile
Capable of reproduction.
gamete
Cell that fuses with another during fertilization in organisms employing sexual reproduction, e.g., an egg or sperm cell.
genital
Of or relating to the genitals or the process of biological reproduction.
intromittent
Used in reference to a modified fin of a male which aids in transfer of gametes to the female during reproduction.
natural selection
Term introduced by Charles Darwin referring to the nonrandom mechanism of evolution by which certain biological traits become either more or less common in a population due to differential, environmentally-influenced reproduction. Better-adapted individuals tend to produce more offspring, thus the population evolves, and this process can result in populations that gradually become specialised to inhabit particular ecological niches and can eventually result in the emergence of new species.
vegetative
Of, relating to, or capable of growth, or functioning in processes such as growth or nutrition rather than sexual reproduction.

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