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Meaning
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- The production of new individuals from their parents is known as plant reproduction.
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Necessary for Existence
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- It is because of plant reproduction that we notice the existence of so many organisms.
- Plant Reproduction at its most basic level involves making copies of the blueprints of body design.
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Inheritance of Genes: The Intricate Steps of Plant Reproduction
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Chromosomes
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- They are present in the nucleus of a cell and contain information for inheritance of features from parents to the next generation in the form of DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid) molecules.
- The DNA in the cell nucleus is the information source for making proteins.
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Chemical Properties
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- Cells use chemical reactions to build copies of their DNA.
- This creates two copies of the DNA in a reproducing cell, and they have to be separated from each other.
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DNA Copying
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- It is accompanied by the creation of an additional cellular apparatus, and then the DNA copies separate, each with its own cellular apparatus.
- Effectively, a cell divides to give rise to two cells.
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Create Variation
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- Copying the DNA has some variations each time.
- As a result, the DNA copies generated are similar, but not identical to the original hence the surviving cells are similar to, but subtly different from each other.
- This inbuilt tendency for variation during plant reproduction is the basis for evolution.
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The Crucial Role of Variation in Plant Reproduction for Species Resilience
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Details
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- Plant Reproduction is linked to the stability of populations of species because DNA copying during Plant reproduction maintains the body design features of the parents.
- It allows the new organism to use a particular niche or habitat in the ecosystem.
- But these niches can change because of reasons beyond the control of the organisms. Temperatures on earth can go up or down, water levels can vary, etc.
- If the niche were drastically altered, the entire population could be wiped out.
- However, if some variations were to be present in a few individuals in these populations, there would be some chance for them to survive.
- Variation is thus useful for the survival of species over time.
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